Earlier today, the NFL world was buzzing over a report from the New York Post claiming the Cleveland Browns lied about Johnny Manziel having a concussion during the last week of the regular season. Michael Silver of the NFL Network backed up that report by confirming a report that Manziel was actually drunk at practice and not concussed, and that the Browns covered it up. The Browns, as expected, have denied that story.
“Johnny Manziel was diagnosed with a concussion by an independent neurologist,” the Browns said in a released statement, which was relayed by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “He wasn’t cleared until Jan. 12. The fact that people are saying we lied about [Manziel’s] concussion is false.”
In short, the Browns called the New York Post and NFL Network liars, which of course did not go unnoticed by Silver. Silver took to Twitter to state his case and defend his reporting while also dialing back his usage of the word “lied”.
1) I've been told by multiple sources that Manziel showed up late to the tea facility for a meeting & noticeably drunk on Wednesday, Dec. 30
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) February 9, 2016
(Pretty sure he was going for team facility, unless Cleveland has a facility specifically for green tea, herbal tea, or iced tea, which sounds pretty refreshing)
2) He was later placed in the concussion protocol & sent home.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) February 9, 2016
3) I am not a doctor & thus cannot presume to question the diagnosis of an independent neurologist or any medical professional…
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) February 9, 2016
4) I do not have direct knowledge of what Manziel may have told the doctor or doctors who evaluated him, or what might have been suggested.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) February 9, 2016
5) If the Browns say they did not lie about Manziel's diagnosis, I will take them at their word, and I regret using that term ("lied").
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) February 9, 2016
6) I stand by my original report that Manziel showed up drunk at practice & that witnesses believed this was the cause of his "behavior."
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) February 9, 2016
7) This will be my last comment on the subject, pending further reporting.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) February 9, 2016
To pile on the Browns a little bit more, ESPN also reported information that supports the original reports regarding Manziel’s state, with Adam Schefter having a “well-placed Browns source” saying Manziel was “heavily hung over on something.”
“This wasn’t some massive cover-up,” the source told Schefter. “What are you going to do? You have to put him in the protocol.
“… He was not drunk that day, but he was (recovering) from being on something. I don’t know what he was doing the night before, but something was wrong with him.”
It seems like there is information coming from both sides that differs in some respects, leading me to suspect the truth is likely found somewhere in the middle of the two. Either way, Silver now admits the suggestion the Browns lied about the status of Manziel came across misguided and perhaps a bit stronger than it should have been. He is not backing down from his reporting, which no reporter should if they trust their sources.
The Browns still have some issues to take care of and probably wish they could hop in their time traveling DeLorean to avoid drafting Manziel in the first place.