CLEVELAND: Embattled Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel did not report to team headquarters Sunday morning in Berea to receive scheduled treatment for a concussion.
“When you’re in concussion protocol, you come to Berea,” owner Jimmy Haslam said. “It’s my understanding he was not there this morning.”
The latest off-field misstep by Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in last year’s draft, has led to more questions about whether he’ll be on the roster next season.
Haslam fired coach Mike Pettine and General Manager Ray Farmer on Sunday and promoted Sashi Brown from executive vice president/general counsel to executive vice president of football operations.
Haslam explained Manziel’s fate will be determined mostly by Brown and the successors of Pettine and Farmer.
“It’ll be up to the coaches and Sashi and our GM,” Haslam said. “Who’s on the team? They’ll make those calls.”
Haslam later acknowledged he would have some say in the decision.
The Browns don’t know whether Manziel, 23, spent Saturday night in Las Vegas, but they are certain about how they would feel if he fled for vacation on the eve of their 28-12, season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers while in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
“If it’s true, it’s disappointing,” nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said.
USA Today reported Manziel was spotted dining and gambling Saturday at Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood casino.
“I’m not sure if those reports are accurate or not,” Haslam said. “We do expect a lot out of our players on and off the field, and I’ll just leave it at that.”
Waitress Tina Samira told USA Today she served Manziel and his guests at Heart Bar at Planet Hollywood. Manziel also sat down at a blackjack table and a casino employee examining his photo ID exclaimed, “We’ve got Johnny Manziel with us tonight,” patron John Hornacek told USA Today.
“If that’s a true report, that’s obvious, for him, some things are more important than football and being a starting quarterback,” Thomas said. “And that’s something that probably needs to be addressed in the offseason.”
Manziel did not attend the finale at FirstEnergy Stadium, but he was not required to do so because he’s in the league’s concussion protocol, a team spokesman said. Manziel was diagnosed with a concussion by team doctors Wednesday, and Austin Davis started in his place. There is no rule prohibiting players in the protocol from traveling.
While word of Manziel’s presence in Las Vegas circulated on Twitter, he posted a photograph Saturday night on Instagram showing him home with his dog. The photo was accompanied with the hashtag #SaturdayNights. He listed Avon, Ohio, as the photo’s location.
Manziel, 23, spent more than 10 weeks in an inpatient rehabilitation facility specializing in alcohol and drug addiction treatment this past offseason, and Pettine revealed Thursday members of the organization want him to address his off-field issues again this offseason.
In his postgame news conference, Pettine refused to blame Manziel’s problems for his demise as coach.
“[Manziel’s] issues have been well-documented,” Pettine said. “You say [he’s a] mess. Can I say, work in progress? ... I am not going to sit here and use an excuse that just because we drafted a quarterback high and he is maybe not where he ideally should be that it was the downfall of what happened here or that was the reason.”
Haslam said the Browns expect their players to do certain things in the offseason to remain on the team and “we certainly expect that of Johnny, too.”
Questioned about the franchise’s seemingly never-ending quest for a bona fide franchise quarterback, Haslam said, “We do have the second pick in the draft.”
Thomas was asked what he would need to see from Manziel moving forward to support him.
“Just a commitment to the game,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. I just want to know that the Cleveland Browns are the most important thing in that person’s life.”
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.