When it comes to the Cleveland Browns, any time Jim Brown has an opinion to share, the world will listen. His latest opinion may surprise you.
Brown says he does not want to see the Cleveland Browns trade away Johnny Manziel, according to a report from Cleveland.com.
“To be honest, I don’t want to see him traded or anything like that,” Brown said at a Cleveland sports awards event Thursday. “I just never feel that’s the answer to anything. But that’s my opinion and I don’t expect you to feel that way. I like Johnny.”
The future of Manziel remains a hot topic in Cleveland as the Browns are moving forward with Hue Jackson as their new head coach. Jackson’s ability to connect with players was thought to be one way to manage or calm down the wild lifestyle of the former first-round draft pick, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. Manziel’s off-field shenanigans have been documented with much scrutiny, all of which has seemingly been deserved.
This has led Browns owner Jimmy Haslam to suggest Manziel needs to start living up to professional expectations. That’s fair enough. With Manziel failing to live up to hype on the field and doing one thing after another off the field to create a stir for all the wrong reasons, simply cutting bait and moving on from the Manziel project is not a bad option for Cleveland, so it woud seem.
But Brown has seen enough in his life to know that simply giving up on Manziel may not be the best move.
“I like Johnny and I know a lot of kids that if you don’t know how to deal with them, you lose them,” Brown said. “They don’t come ready made, but on the other hand the argument is he’s a man. He should know how to conduct himself. He has an opportunity and we’ve got all of that, but I like him and I hope they are able to relate and if they are able to relate then he will respect the coach.”
Manziel only has himself to blame for the position he currently sits, but there is also a chance to make the changes needed to turn things around as far as his football career is concerned.
