Johnny Manziel has officially closed the chapter on his football days.
The former star Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner — whose two-season NFL career fizzled, mostly due to scandals and hard-partying habits — said his new Netflix film, “Johnny Football” was his way of putting a bow on the Johnny Football era.
In a Q&A with Sports Illustrated, prior to the film’s Aug. 8 release, Manziel explained that he was motivated to relive his story after becoming “intrigued” by the storytelling in the “Untold: Breaking Point” documentary on Mardy Fish — which explores the mental health challenges that accompanied the tennis pro’s illustrious career.
“From there, I felt like it was just time for me to kind of put a bow on the Johnny Football story and the Johnny Football saga of my life and be able to tell a story that I lived, that was very impactful in my life and my family’s life,” Manziel, now 30, said.
“And also, you know, I think around the country, I’m kind of tired of the questions of walking down the street, being asked about it: ‘Are you still playing football? Are you still doing this? Are you still doing that?’
“I wanted to tell an amazing story about my time in college and the NFL and kind of what my life was. And just kind of put it behind me.”
Manziel said he plans to watch Netflix’s “Untold: Johnny Football” film from the comfort of home’s couch in Dallas, Texas on Aug. 8, when the film releases.
He earned the nickname Johnny Football during a historic 2012 season where he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
The former quarterback put on a show for Aggies fans that season, including a dominant win at Alabama, all while partying and running a lucrative memorabilia-signing business that earned him thousands of dollars.
In the film, Manziel said he was “a 19-year-old with a hundred grand stuffed under his bed.”
Manziel ran the scheme with his best friend at the time, Nathan “Uncle Nate” Fitch before the current NIL era — where college athletes can now profit from their name, image and likeness following the NCAA’s historic 2021 ruling.
As his fame and the school’s fortune was on the rise, the pair found a way to work the system — with Fitch acknowledging in the film that weren’t doing anything illegal, but just breaking the NCAA’s rules.
Manziel and Fitch once made $30,000 during one memorabilia-autograph session in Miami, where they conducted business inside a hotel room at Fontainebleau.
Despite multiple attempts to stay clean, Manziel couldn’t control his partying.
Manziel, a first-round pick by the Browns in 2014, entered rehab in February 2015 while still a member of the team.
After a bizarre trip to Las Vegas in January 2016 — where he attempted to go incognito, wearing a blonde wig and going by a different name, Billy Football — Manziel was cut from the Browns in March of that year.
A series of failed comebacks made headlines through the years, though Manziel never revived his once-promising career.
It appears he’s living a much simpler life these days in Dallas.
Manziel is set to open a bar and nightclub called Johnny’s Money Bar in College Station this fall.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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