Cleveland Browns: Uninformed Speculation About Johnny Manziel Is Irresponsible

By now, even those not intimately familiar with the Cleveland Browns have heard the news.

Last Monday, Browns backup quarterback Johnny Manziel was involved in an incident with his girlfriend. He admitted to drinking earlier in the day, but the police who responded did not deem him intoxicated. He was accused of driving recklessly and arguing publicly on the side of the road with his girlfriend.

Cleveland's Newsnet 5 broke the story last Friday, and the full details of the incident can be found here.

Manziel released a statement about what happened. Browns general manager Ray Farmer released a statement as well, which read, "We were aware of the situation. It is a matter that we take seriously and have expressed our concerns to Johnny directly. Those conversations will remain private and we will refrain from further comment at this time."

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Neither Manziel nor his girlfriend were charged with anything, and Manziel went on to serve as the team's backup quarterback to Josh McCown in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. It's possible that, had this happened to practically any other player in the NFL, the story would have already been passed over for something more compelling.

But that's not the case with Manziel. Not after Manziel's well-documented penchant for partying during college and in his first season with the Browns. Not after Manziel spent time in a rehabilitation facility this offseason. And not after report after glowing report noted how much progress Manziel has made, not just as a player, but also as a person.

Now, "Manziel needs to go back to rehab" and "the Browns need to cut Manziel" are common refrains, despite the fact that no one saying these things has any idea what Manziel has been through, is currently going through or even what, specifically, Manziel was in treatment for earlier this year.

And we don't know what his treatment plan is now, what it entails and what constitutes any previous problems significantly resurfacing.

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What happened with Manziel last week was not a good look, to be sure. But to make sweeping proclamations about how his future should play out is irresponsible.

Manziel and the Browns have gone to great lengths to keep how Manziel spent his spring and why a private matter. And because we don't know what kind of treatment he received or what is being asked of him now, it's not our place to diagnose or prescribe anything to "help" him.

It's obvious why it's so tempting to play Armchair Anything when matters like this come up in connection with Manziel. He's a public figure, after all, and he has been a very public figure in the past. But just because some things Manziel does and has done are and were in the public eye does not mean that everything Manziel does should be made public.

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Manziel and the Browns are clearly trying to keep Manziel's private life private, and that's something that should be respected. And because of this, we simply do not know enough to say what Manziel or the Browns should be doing. 

Many of us have experience with substance-abuse issues through people close to us, which can prompt people to believe they are authorities on what Manziel is going through. But we don't know Manziel, and we aren't Manziel. Every situation is different, and we have no idea what Manziel's situation is, nor should we feel entitled to know.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine said on Monday that he and the team are both aware and concerned about the report that came out last week. But he also noted that Manziel's engaged in "a process," one that the Browns are "helping him through." 

That doesn't sound like a team on the verge of cutting Manziel. And Manziel also has the complete support of at least one of his teammates, linebacker Karlos Dansby:

The fact is, given the scrutiny Manziel has faced for years, there will doubtlessly be numerous scorching takes and sweeping proclamations made about his future, his fate, his choices and what he should or should not do. But that's an instinct we'd all be best to ignore. 

What is going on in Manziel's private life is just that—private. And it's not for us to know about unless Manziel makes it public. This incident occurred publicly, yes, but that doesn't justify all of the assumptions made about Manziel's private life that followed. We know what we know, and the things we don't know are none of our business.