Fantasy Index

Around the NFL

Manziel in rehab: good move, but future uncertain

Johnny Manziel checked himself into a rehab facility last week, a story that broke just after the Super Bowl. All indications are that the move had been a long time coming, and that Manziel's history made it a necessary step for him to get his life in order (and, of course, his football career).

This lengthy story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer makes it clear that Manziel has been dealing with alcohol-related issues for quite some time. Some of the stories were known while he was in college at Texas A&M, and certainly all the teams that considered him in the draft were aware of the history.

Most NFL fans, though, probably didn't realize the extent of it. Bar fights, alcohol counseling, and more, dating back several years. Manziel had seemingly put many of his problems behind him, but being drafted into the NFL only brought out in the worst in him. According to the article, "The moment he was drafted, the dam broke and he reverted back to Johnny Football, party animal."

Obviously, Manziel needs to get the off-field stuff straightened out before he can be an on-field contributor, to the Browns or anyone else. Cleveland needs a quarterback and will hope that Manziel can become that player, or else they'll be looking again, maybe even in this year's draft. Brian Hoyer might be the team's quarterback in 2015.

Beyond that, it's anyone's guess. But it doesn't seem dramatically more likely to be Manziel than a quarterback not currently on the roster.

If you're in a dynasty league hoping to acquire Johnny Football while his stock is low, be careful not to assume it can't get any lower. It's not a given.

--Andy Richardson

Fantasy Index