14 August 2023 , 19:14
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NFL Hall of Fame offensive tackle Joe Thomas always knew Johnny Manziel would struggle in the NFL.
Drafted to his Cleveland Browns, Manziel was hoped to be the saviour of the franchise who had not had a stable franchise quarterback for decades. But after just two seasons, Manziel was released from the team.
His exit came after he spent the weekend partying in Las Vegas when he was supposed to be with the team. And that had not been the first time that Manziel had not shown up to team events, with Browns legend Thomas revealing there were early warning signs over their top draft pick.
Speaking on the Dan Patrick Show, Thomas said: "Well, shortly after we drafted him, he vanished in the spring. We were in the middle of OTAs, and the coaches couldn’t find him.
"He’d come to Cleveland. He was there for like a day. He was at practice, and then he just disappeared. And I think he was just on a bender somewhere in Cleveland partying and he couldn’t find his way back to the facility.
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"It was at that moment I was like, ‘We may have some problems with this young rookie here if he can’t even find his way during OTAs when he’s a rookie and he should be trying to put his best foot forward."
Thomas has admitted that he has not watched the documentary, and does not think he wants to after playing with him and admitting that he still has bad memories from that period.
He said: "I’m a little conflicted. … I’m not sure if I want to watch it because I lived it. And there are still a few scabs I’m peeling off right now after those Johnny Manziel moments. I’m a little bit torn."
Joe Thomas and the Browns offensive line were clearly frustrated with Manziel throughout his time with the teamA first-round draft pick from the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel was seen as a risky prospect due to his unorthodox style of playing the quarterback position - relying on his athleticism to make plays.
When he was made the starter, Manziel struggled mightily and did not look anywhere near as comfortable as he had with Texas A&M. Speaking candidly in the documentary about his struggles on and off the field, Manziel said: "I had every single thing that I could have ever wanted.
"You have money. You have fame. You're a first-round draft pick battling for a starting quarterback position. And when I got everything that I wanted, I think I was the most empty that I've ever felt inside.
"I would sit in my condo in Cleveland downtown and just feel like it was the only place that I could get away from everybody and anything. And I would look out those windows every day, and I just felt empty.
"I went from one fishbowl city to another, and I wanted nothing to do with football. I wanted nothing to do with stepping on that field. And I had bigger issues in my life than being able to go out and play free-spirited, flowing football."