Report: Johnny Manziel Doing Extremely Well
At this point, anything we hear about Johnny Manziel is more about the person than the football player. It also needs to be taken with a grain of salt for a variety of reasons. Mike Freeman, formerly of CBS Sports and now with Bleacher Report, has heard from people close to Manziel that he is doing very well right now:
I will say, have heard from people close to Johnny Manziel, who say he is doing extremely well.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 15, 2015
There are a bunch of caveats to that statement but we will first start with two positives:
First, this in and of itself is a good thing that Freeman is hearing. Manziel’s father has been somewhat hard on him in the past as have others. While it seems like this tough love started later than it should, that some close to him believe he is doing extremely well is a great statement.
Second, and this is through the eyes of 13 years experience as a mental health professional, the fact that he was given some version of a pass for some amount of time is also a good sign. In rehab facilities those are earned, not just based on behavior but on progress in treatment. That Manziel has earned that privilege, as well as reportedly has return to rehab as expected is a good sign for where he is in his process.
Now on to the caveats:
First, many of those close to Manziel don’t seem to be the best of influences. His girlfriend presents as a party/club girl who likes to have fun and likes to be famous. His family, as noted above, may be trying tough love on him but did that reportedly didn’t happen until late into his teen years.
Second, many can do good in a controlled environment but still struggle when released. It is actually a part of diagnostic coding for substances. There is a specifier that goes on the end of a diagnosis that is called “in a controlled environment.” Someone could be diagnosed with Alcohol Dependence in (a time/amount specifier) remission, in a controlled environment. Some talk about “Jailhouse conversions” in a similar way.
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Third, no amount of success in rehab will provide any guarantee about his ability to play for the Cleveland Browns now or in the future. While some of Manziel’s football issues came from preparation, mindset and effort, he still has a long way to go to prove he has the physical gifts to be a starting level QB.
So while Browns fans are hopeful that Manziel can provide some sort of reward from the 1st round pick the team spent on him, nothing is for sure. He could come out of rehab and decide he doesn’t want to play anymore. He could leave rehab and relapse and be right back to the place he was last year. Or, optimistically, he could leave rehab focused and ready to lead the Browns to a place they haven’t been in a long time: the Playoffs.
What do you think about this report regarding Johnny Manziel and how he is doing?