Manziel Reportedly Lied About Recency of Party Video

Many of us were taught as children that it was better to fess up to the crime rather than lie and wait for it to come back and bite us later. Well, apparently nobody told Johnny Manziel, because it is now being reported that the former starting quarterback lied to the Cleveland Browns about the date of the video that led to his demotion.

According to an unnamed league source, Manziel lied to head coach Mike Pettine regarding when the footage was filmed, and encouraged friends to back up his fabrication if asked about it by either the media or behind closed doors.

“I won’t go into the details of what we talked about,” said Pettine when asked about the allegations of mistruth. “When you have a great opportunity in front of you, it is important that you demonstrate that you can handle the responsibility that comes with it. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of trust and accountability.”

Vague as he may usually be, it’s not hard to see Pettine clearly feels betrayed and duped by the man who – only two weeks ago – he and the front office placed total trust in for the rest of this lost season.

Quite frankly, it makes little difference to Manziel’s job security whether he really did lie, or that the video was in fact filmed earlier this year. The fact that footage of a recovering alcoholic clutching champagne bottles at a party surfaced as soon as Manziel took up the starting role was reason enough to bench the talented but immature prospect.

Now, the news has not only hampered his chances of ever getting back to good terms with the Browns, but of continuing his career elsewhere too.