CLEVELAND: The seriousness of Johnny Manziel’s problems have hit Browns strong safety Donte Whitner, yet the veteran still believes Manziel can be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Whitner saw a video obtained by TMZ.com showing Manziel drinking from a bottle of champagne while donning a wide-brimmed black hat and sunglasses at a Miami nightclub.
According to the website, the video was taken Thursday night, hours after Dallas police referred Manziel’s domestic violence case to a grand jury, which will decide whether to charge him on allegations that he beat ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley on Jan. 30.
“Last night, I was in bed probably about 9:30-10, news came on, rolled over, and then I saw him in the club again, drinking out of the bottle with the hat and glasses on,” Whitner said Monday during the Cleveland Auto Show at the I-X Center. “There was really a lot of empathy there because if you get everything that you care about and worked so hard for all of your life stripped away from you, all the allegations that’s going on, there’s no way that you can be out partying and doing whatever. So there might be a serious problem there.”
Whitner has not been in touch with Manziel. He’s tried to reach him by text to no avail.
The Browns plan to cut Manziel on March 9, when the NFL’s new calendar year will give them the salary-cap space needed to make the inevitable move.
Whitner still has hope Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft, can make a comeback.
“Unfortunately, it won’t happen here,” Whitner said. “But there’s 31 other teams in the National Football League, and all it takes is just one team to believe in you once you get everything in order and take care of your personal things. And I believe he can be a starting quarterback, but they’re not going to give you too much time, so he has to really do it now.
“He’s what, 23 years old? If he gets the help that he needs and he does the training that he’s supposed to do, and does all of the things that we always talked about when I talk to him, then I believe he can be starting quarterback in the National Football League. If he doesn’t, I don’t know what can happen, so hopefully he does turn that around.”
Whitner conceded Manziel’s issues created problems in the locker room.
“There was turmoil, but I don’t think it affected our winning,” he said. “There were many, many things that affect our winning, some with the players, some with the coaches, maybe some with management, I don’t know, but whenever you get all three phases on the right page, that’s when you get wins. So hopefully we can do that now.”
Browns wide receiver Brian Hartline, who also appeared at the auto show, agreed a comeback is possible for Manziel somewhere else in the NFL.
“There’s a lot of other things going on in his life that he needs to get figured out [and] football demands too much of it, and it’s really hard to play this sport as a person that has other things going on in his life,” Hartline said. “With that being said, I think football will take a backseat and once he gets things figured out, I’m sure there will be an opportunity down the road.”
He can succeed
Whitner revealed he once ran into suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon and observed the former All Pro had ballooned to about 30 pounds more than his playing weight. But Whitner has recently watched Gordon whip himself back into shape.
Gordon, 24, has applied for reinstatement into the NFL and is awaiting a decision from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“I do know Josh. I understand he’s a young guy,” Whitner said. “He’s made a few mistakes in his career, and when you hit rock bottom the way he did, there’s nowhere else to go but up. Over the last couple months, just watching him, watching Instagram and the hard work that he put in, the transformation that he made with his body. I remember seeing him at the [Metropolitan at the] 9 downtown and him being like 255 pounds, and then going on down to four or five or sixth months later, shedding 20, 25, 30 pounds and looking like he did before the suspension started.
“I understand that he’s very dedicated. I understand that he can go out there and do anything he wants to do on the football field. He’s that athletically gifted. So when he catches up with the mental aspect of the game and the mental aspect of being in the NFL and the mental aspect of life, then he’ll be an All Pro again. He’s still young enough to do that. So from what I’ve seen, he’s ready to do it. Hopefully he is.”
Not his mentor
Whitner refuted an assumption that he had taken cornerback Justin Gilbert under his wing. Gilbert has been plagued by undisclosed personal problems, maturity issues and poor play since the Browns drafted him eighth overall in 2014.
“Let’s backtrack on that. I haven’t taken him under my wing,” Whitner said of Gilbert. “There’s things that he’s going to have to do in his personal life and his professional career to get it on track also, and there’s no hiding that. So hopefully he’s doing what he’s supposed to do right now, so he can come in and contribute to this football team this year, and I haven’t had any contact with him. I haven’t spoken to him.”
Whitner said he hopes Gilbert returns to the Browns this offseason “with a new attitude” and proves he’s “willing to learn and do the small things it takes to be successful.”
“If not, I don’t know what will happen,” Whitner said. “... But the slate can be wiped clean for him if he comes in with the right mindset, in the right shape that he’s supposed to be in. It can all change for him.”
Not much contact
Whitner is impressed with the track records of coach Hue Jackson and defensive coordinator Ray Horton, but he hasn’t been in contact with the new regime.
“I haven’t had any contact,” Whitner said. “I don’t know many players on our team that have had much. I think they’re still evaluating. I think we’ll get all the contact we need when we report [for the offseason workout program] on April 4. I think they just want guys to unwind from last season, take a step back and then go full ahead when we get in.”
Hartline said he has talked to associate head coach-offense Pep Hamilton.
Hope he’s back
Hartline would like the Browns to retain impending free-agent receiver Travis Benjaman.
“I’m hopeful,” Hartline said. “I think Travis Benjamin provides a lot of talent no matter where he’s at, and I think that for me, you always hope to play beside Travis Benjamin. But I hope that he’s dealing with what’s best for the family, and if we’re blessed enough to have him back, then lucky for the Browns.”