BEREA: Browns coach Mike Pettine didn’t blatantly throw Johnny Manziel under the bus Friday.
But Pettine also didn’t deny he demoted Manziel from starting quarterback to third on the depth chart this week partly because the 22nd overall pick in last year’s draft lied to him.
On Thursday, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Manziel told the Browns the party video that surfaced online Monday showing him holding a large bottle while singing and dancing in an Austin, Texas, nightclub late last week was old. He also tried to get other partygoers involved to cover it up, according to the report.
When a reporter told Pettine during a news conference Friday that it’s come to light that Manziel lied to him and other members of the coaching staff, Pettine cut off the reporter.
“I already addressed it,” Pettine said. “I said trust and accountability was where we had a shortfall. I have nothing more to add.”
Earlier in the news conference, Pettine was asked why Manziel is still on the team after lying.
“I addressed this situation in detail on Wednesday,” Pettine said. “When I say I’m sorry to disappoint, I’m not really. But I’m just not going there today. We’ve got a game to get ready for Monday night. I dealt with it Wednesday. I’m moving forward.”
Josh McCown will start when the Browns (2-8) host the Baltimore Ravens (3-7) on Monday Night Football. Austin Davis will serve as the backup.
Meanwhile, Manziel is third on the depth chart and could be inactive.
“I haven’t done the worksheet yet, but that always comes down to projected health, where we are at other positions,” Pettine said. “So I haven’t made that decision yet.”
Coming off a 30-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pettine named Manziel the starter for the rest of the season on Nov. 17, then announced one week later he decided to bench the popular and polarizing player because of off-field behavior. Manziel spent more than 10 weeks this past offseason in an inpatient rehabilitation facility specializing in alcohol and drug addition treatment.
After Manziel had discussions with Pettine, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell about their expectations for his off-field conduct, he repeatedly partied during the team’s recent five-day, bye-week break.
Evidence of the revelry appeared in a video posted to Instagram by a deejay known as DJ LX and was published Monday on BustedCoverage.com. Manziel tried to pass the footage off as old when the Beacon Journal asked him about it Monday during a community event at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
“Videos can be old,” Manziel said. “Videos can be all kinds of different things.”
Asked specifically if the video in question was old, Manziel replied, “I haven’t seen it, so I can’t speak on it.”
Later the same day, DJ LX told WKNR (850-AM) the video was old. He also deleted the post, which included the following caption: “Sippin on Dom Perignon for no reason with Johnny Manziel.”
According to Glazer’s report, Manziel’s attempted cover-up extended to his subsequent conversations with the Browns.
Although several interview requests have been submitted, the Browns have not made Manziel available to the media since he lost the starting job.
Asked Friday whether Manziel lied to the coaches about the party video, DeFilippo said, “I’m going to leave those conversations between myself and coach.”
Still, DeFilippo said he supports Pettine’s decision to bench Manziel “100 percent” and added the former Heisman Trophy winner’s fall is “very disappointing.”
On the other hand, DeFilippo said “there’s no doubt in my mind Johnny’s going to bounce back,” leaving the door open for Manziel to play again in the last six games of the season. The final stretch was supposed to be Manziel’s audition for 2016, when the Browns will likely have a high draft pick and an opportunity to select a top-rated quarterback.
Manziel is 1-4 as an NFL starter, including 1-2 this season. He has completed 59.4 percent of his passes this year with five touchdowns, two interceptions and a rating of 88.4. He had the best game of his young career against the Steelers, passing for 372 yards.
“I like what I’ve seen [from Manziel on the field]. I really do,” DeFilippo said. “Even the jump he made from the Cincinnati game to the Pittsburgh game was a huge jump. I think we’d all agree on that. I think Johnny’s played enough football where we know what we have in him, and as we all know, a six-game season in the NFL is a long stretch, a very long stretch. We’re a long way from the end of the season. So you don’t close doors on anything. You never say never in this profession. So to say that Johnny Manziel won’t play again this season, I’m not ready to say that.”
DeFilippo also said he still believes Manziel can be a franchise quarterback despite his recurring off-field issues.
“I know the person more than a lot of people,” DeFilippo said. “We all make mistakes. We all hope as an organization he’s learned from some of the mistakes he’s made. We’re all a work in progress. We’re going to keep working with him.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.