Former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was supposed to be the next big thing in sports. He was a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Many expected him to return a beleaguered Cleveland Browns franchise to glory. But things never went well for Manziel.
Off-field problems hampered his progress. And at the end of the 2015 season, he was out of the NFL.
During a recent appearance on the Shay Shay Club with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, the former college star revealed that he lost 40 pounds. When she was asked how Manziel gave a shocking answer.
“I weighed 210 pounds. When I left Cleveland he weighed 170 pounds. sitting in Las Vegas that August, September, October. How do you lose 40 pounds? You’re on a strict punch diet. Manziel told Sharpe.
“At that moment, man, I looked in the mirror and I didn’t look any different than when I was in Cleveland. “It wasn’t until I stepped on a scale at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas that I realized I’d lost 40 pounds.”
Johnny Manziel says he let LeBron James down
Manziel had big expectations on his shoulders coming out of college. He had co-signers from people like Drake and famous sports analyst Skip Bayless. After LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat in 2010, the city entered a period of darkness in the sports world. And the Cleveland faithful hoped Manziel would be their Savior.
But it did not live up to expectations. Manziel feels that he disappointed many people with his actions. In particular, LeBron and his longtime business partner, Maverick Carter.
“There were a lot of people I disappointed. And I really feel that [Maverick Carter] and LeBron were people I really let down,” he added.
“What I did, the way I behaved and the way I was in my time in Cleveland was pure and blatant disrespect towards them, who gave me everything I needed to succeed.”
Johnny entered a period of depression
After the Browns released Manziel at the end of the 2015 season, no team picked him up, even though he was in the prime of his career. During that time Manziel says he went through a period of depression. So depressed that even LeBron couldn’t get him to leave the house.
“LeBron would text me every week to come home and watch a game or play poker with the kids and I would just try to be there,” Manziel said.
“And I was so depressed for the first time in my life that not even my biggest role model and inspiration in my life could get me out of bed to come hang out with him.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn