Cleveland Browns will cut Johnny Manziel on March 9
The Cleveland Browns will move on from Johnny Manziel just two seasons after
they drafted him in the first round.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday the team will cut Manziel
when the new league year begins March 9.
Per league rules, the Browns can't cut Manziel until next week at the
earliest. Rapoport reported the Browns have $20 million in salary-cap space
for 2015, which carried over to 2016. Manziel, however, has guarantees in his
contract, and the Browns need space to absorb the cap hit in 2015. Currently,
they have no space, which is why they will wait for the league year to start.
Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown released a
statement Tuesday regarding Manziel's most recent off-field incident.
"We've been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field,"
Brown said. "Johnny's continual involvement in incidents that run counter to
those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the
reputation of our organization. His status with our team will be addressed
when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time."
Rapoport previously reported that when new coach Hue Jackson took over the
team, Manziel's fate was sealed.
Brown's statement makes that eventuality clearer.
Manziel is being investigated for an alleged incident with a 23-year-old
female, police in Fort Worth, Texas, said in a statement Saturday. The
alleged incident occurred late Friday evening at an apartment complex in Fort
Worth.
According to the statement, officers responded to a report of a possible
assault and made contact with the woman, who was unrelated to the caller. The
complainant stated she was involved in a disturbance with Manziel, her
ex-boyfriend, earlier in the evening in Dallas. The officers were unable to
locate a crime scene within the Fort Worth jurisdiction.
After the complainant told officers she was concerned for Manziel's personal
well-being, they attempted to locate him by calling his cell phone, and by
checking locations in the area. They also deployed a helicopter to search for
Manziel. Following the search, it was determined Manziel was safe and in no
danger.
The Fort Worth Police Department continues to work with the Dallas Police
Department to determine if a criminal offense occurred.
"We are aware and looking into it," an NFL spokesman said Saturday. NFL
security plans to contact Manziel's ex-girlfriend and her family as part of
their investigation into the incident, Rapoport reported.
This marks the latest of several incidents involving Manziel as a member of
the Browns. The team announced last month that it had fined the second-year
quarterback for missing a scheduled medical treatment on the final Sunday of
the season.
Manziel was also benched ahead of a Week 12 matchup with the Ravens after a
video surfaced of the quarterback partying at a club in Austin, Texas. A week
prior to that, Manziel was cleared of wrongdoing in a roadside incident
involving his girlfriend. During the 2015 offseason, he spent 10 weeks in a
rehab facility specializing in alcohol and substance abuse.