Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel
refer to caption
Manziel with the Cleveland Browns in 2015
No. 2
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1992-12-06) December 6, 1992 (age 31)
Tyler, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Tivy (Kerrville, Texas)
College:Texas A&M (2011–2013)
NFL draft:2014 / round: 1 / pick: 22
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:248
Passing completions:147
Completion percentage:57%
TD–INT:7–7
Passing yards:1,675
Passer rating:74.4
Rushing yards:259
Rushing touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Career CFL statistics
Passing attempts:165
Passing completions:106
Completion percentage:64.2%
TD–INT:5–7
Passing yards:1,290
Stats at CFL.ca

Johnathan Paul Manziel (/mænˈzɛl/ man-ZEL; born December 6, 1992), nicknamed "Johnny Football", is an American former professional football quarterback who played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He also played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2018, the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019, and in Fan Controlled Football from 2021 to 2022.

Manziel was nationally recruited out of high school as a dual-threat quarterback,[1] and he debuted in college football for the Texas A&M Aggies as a redshirt freshman in Kevin Sumlin's Air Raid offense[2] during A&M's first season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 2012. He broke numerous NCAA Division I FBS and SEC records, which included becoming the first freshman and fifth player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season.[3] At the end of the regular season, he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy,[4] the Manning Award,[5] and the Davey O'Brien Award.[6] Manziel capitalized on his redshirt freshman season by leading Texas A&M to a 41–13 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2013 Cotton Bowl Classic.[7]

Manziel was selected by the Browns as the 22nd overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft. Despite some success, he struggled with consistency and his tenure was overshadowed by off-field controversies.[8][9][10][11] He was released by the Browns after the end of the 2015 season. Following further controversies during the 2016 offseason,[12][13][14] Manziel was not signed by another team before the start of the season and spent two years away from football until he returned with the Tiger-Cats of the CFL in 2018. He was later traded to the Alouettes during the season, but was released the following year and rendered ineligible to play in the CFL after it was determined he violated the terms of his contract. Shortly after his release, Manziel signed with the Express during the AAF's inaugural season, which was cut short when the AAF suspended operations two weeks later.

TexAgs users tagged Manziel with the nickname "Johnny Football" during Manziel's sophomore high school football season in Texas. The nickname followed him to Texas A&M University.[15][16] Manziel applied for and was granted a registered trademark for the nickname in 2013.[17]

Manziel was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2022.[18]

  1. ^ "Johnny Manziel, 2011 Dual Threat Quarterback, Texas A&M". Rivals.com. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. ^ Khan, Sam Jr. (August 16, 2012). "Redshirt freshman QB Johnny Manziel to start for A&M". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  3. ^ Henry, Jim (August 2, 2013). "Charlie Ward's advice to Johnny Manziel: Prepare for 'barrage'". USA Today. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  4. ^ Russo, Ralph D. (December 8, 2012). "'Johnny Heisman': Manziel first freshman to win trophy". KHOU. Archived from the original on June 26, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  5. ^ Bienvenu, Casey (January 10, 2013). "Johnny Manziel Earns 2013 Manning Award". All State Sugar Bowl. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  6. ^ "Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, Luke Joeckel win national awards". The Eagle. BH Media Group Holdings, Inc. Associated Press. December 7, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  7. ^ Hawkins, Stephen (January 4, 2013). "Manziel, Texas A&M beat Oklahoma 41–13 in Cotton". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  8. ^ Brady, James (October 16, 2015). "Johnny Manziel pulled over by police after arguing with girlfriend, drinking". SBNation.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  9. ^ Perez, A.J. (November 24, 2015). "Browns bench Johnny Manziel for party video, name Josh McCown starter". USA Today. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  10. ^ McManamon, Pat (November 26, 2015). "Johnny Manziel demoted after lying to team about timeline of video". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  11. ^ Boeck, Scott (January 2, 2016). "Johnny Manziel spotted at Las Vegas casino on eve of season finale". USA Today. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  12. ^ "Police investigate domestic violence claim against Johnny Manziel". ESPN.com. February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  13. ^ Anderson, Josina (June 24, 2016). "Johnny Manziel's lawyer sends accidental text indicating plea deal". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  14. ^ Caplan, Adam; Fowler, Jeremy (June 30, 2016). "Johnny Manziel suspended four games for violating drug policy". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  15. ^ "Johnny Football: A nickname coined in Aggieland, a legend crafted in the Hill Country". KBTX Sports. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  16. ^ Taylor, John (October 14, 2012). "'Johnny Football' one of two Camp honorees". College Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  17. ^ "Serial Trademark Number #85839336 – "Johnny Football"". Trademark Status and Document Retrieval System, United States Patent and Trademark Office. tsdr.uspto.gov.
  18. ^ Hookstead, David (September 3, 2022). "Johnny Manziel Gives Powerful Texas A&M Hall Of Fame Induction Speech". OutKick. Retrieved February 6, 2023.