User Review
( votes)Should Johnny Manziel Remain In The NFL?
As if the start of his career hadn’t been bad enough, Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has made another poor decision, as he’s been accused of domestic violence by a former girlfriend. Between this revelation, his issues with substance abuse, and his less than stellar play on the field, it’s not unfair to wonder whether or not Manziel should even be in the NFL as a player for much longer, or if teams should let him return to the real world and try to get his life in order.
Johnny Manziel’s Personal Problems
When teams get set to draft players at the NFL Draft, you tend to hear a lot about the character concerns of certain players, but that didn’t stop the Cleveland Browns from drafting Johnny Manziel in the first round to be their franchise quarterback. Cleveland made this decision despite Manziel’s questionable decision making in the past. Since then, that decision making has only become worse, and has become destructive to himself and others.
One such example is Manziel’s issues with alcohol, which have caused him to miss commitments with the Browns, and have put him in the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons. Manziel spent time in a rehab facility last offseason in an attempt to curtail these issues (Manziel was believed to have entered rehab as a result of his alcohol abuse, according to many), but has since been seen with alcohol at nightclubs and other public places.
However, Manziel’s alcohol choices pale in comparison to his most recent issue, alleged domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend. Whereas alcohol abuse largely only hurts the person making that choice, domestic violence entails the active harming of another person, someone who is generally very close to the abuser. It’s simply awful, and Manziel should be punished considerably should the investigation surrounding the allegations be true.
Should Johnny Manziel Be In The NFL?
As far as whether or not Johnny Manziel should remain in the NFL, a combination of all of his flaws needs to be taken into account. Sure, Manziel can probably play at a high level in the league if he is put in a situation where he has the talent around him to succeed, something he certainly didn’t have with the dysfunctional Browns. But all of the talent and potential in the world don’t seem important when dealing with someone who may be harming both himself and others with poor decisions.
Should it come out that Johnny Manziel was indeed performing acts of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend, there is no way that he should be able to continue a lucrative career in the NFL, an organization that claims to care about domestic violence issues despite allowing players such as Greg Hardy to get away with being abusers while continuing their playing careers. Johnny Manziel is a high profile player in the NFL, and a long suspension for Manziel could teach other players that the NFL is prepared to finally start taking despicable actions against women more seriously, as they should have been all along.
BY: Jason M. Sanin