Johnny Manziel: 'I take full responsibility for my actions'
Johnny Manziel issued a statement on Friday apologizing to the Cleveland Browns and fans and saying he takes "full responsibility" for his actions.
Earlier this week, Manziel reportedly was released from a drug and alcohol treatment facility. His attorney said in a statement in February that Manziel entered the facility on Jan. 28 in order to "be a better family member, friend and teammate." The Browns reportedly expect Manziel to partake in offseason workouts with the team beginning on April 20.
"I would like to thank my family, friends, the Browns organization, my teammates, and Browns fans everywhere, for your patience, understanding, and support during my stay at Caron," the statement reads. "The doctors and staff have been amazing and what I’ve learned in the last couple of months has been tremendous. I owe private apologies to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization and the fans that I let down. I take full responsibility for my actions and it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect.
"I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say. I also understand there’s a lot of curiosity about this but anyone who has a friend or family-member that’s been through things like this knows it’s an ongoing process. I’m going to continue to ask folks to try to respect my privacy as I determine to what degree I am comfortable talking about a subject which I consider very personal. Most of you have been considerate about that and I thank you for it. I look forward to seeing my teammates next week and focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be.”
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Manziel struggled in his first season with the Browns after the team selected him in the first round of last year's draft.
Over five games (and two starts), he completed 51.4 percent of his passes for 175 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.
Manziel also drew attention for events away from the field.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen suggested last week that Cleveland is ready to "move on" from Manziel.
In February, Cleveland signed veteran quarterback Josh McCown.
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