Although the Browns have filed for divorce from Johnny Manziel, it remains to be seen whether the troubled quarterback can salvage his NFL career.
TMZ.com posed the multimillion dollar question to new Browns coach Hue Jackson while he attended a charity event Wednesday night in San Francisco as part of Super Bowl festivities.
“Johnny Manziel has to determine [whether he has a future in the NFL],” Jackson said. “Not me.”
With police investigating whether Manziel assaulted an ex-girlfriend in Texas this past weekend, Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown condemned the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft in a statement issued Tuesday and made it clear the franchise will sever ties with him. Fort Worth police said Thursday there were no updates on the probe involving Manziel.
The divorce between the Browns and Manziel is expected to be finalized on March 9, when the start of a new league year will give the team adequate salary-cap space to cut him.
Jackson acted as if he’s washed his hands of Manziel when asked about his impending departure.
“There’s so many other things to talk about,” he said. “That’s not my concern right now. We’ve got so many other great things with the organization — hiring the staff, getting our players back, getting them ready to go. I want to focus on the positive and not the negative.”
Asked if he wants Manziel on his team, Jackson replied, “That’ll all take care of itself at the appropriate time.”
Meanwhile, speculation about Manziel landing with the Dallas Cowboys persists because of owner Jerry Jones’ well-documented obsession with the former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M.
Michael Irvin, a former Cowboys wide receiver and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is convinced Jones could save Manziel, whose penchant for partying is well known.
“Jerry Jones is one of the right people that can reach down inside the kid and pull out the king,” Irvin told TMZ.com in San Francisco. “There’s a king in every kid, even though he runs astray. You just need the right person to pull down inside the kid and pull out the king, and Jerry can help him do that. Cleveland doesn’t have any [darn] body that can help him do that! They’re trying to save their own life. Forget about trying to save his.”
Irvin, who battled drug addiction, credits Jones with helping him become a better man.
“Jerry saves a lot of guys, man, ‘because he uses the game of football the way it’s supposed to be used — to save lives and to raise men up,” Irvin said.
“My message to Manziel is get with somebody that really cares about him, his person, and it’ll bring the best out of him in his profession.”
Manziel, 23, was approached by ESPN.com NBA reporter Tim MacMahon while attending a Dallas Mavericks game Wednesday night. MacMahon explained on Twitter that Manziel politely declined to be interviewed but offered to answer questions about the Mavericks. MacMahon wrote he politely declined Manziel’s offer.
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.