While Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel had been earning rave reviews for his behavior on and off the field in the early part of the season, he began to take a turn for the worse after losing his brief grip on the starting quarterback job, sources said, culminating in his questioning by police in his car a week ago. Some in the Browns organization were bracing for an incident of some sort, with his attitude and demeanor changing slightly after one week running the offense with veteran Josh McCown injured.
Concern began at that point that Manziel might not be as focused and diligent both at the team's facility and in his free time, and during the past two weeks there were small signs that he was not quite as dedicated to his craft, sources said, as it became apparent that he was going to be in a backup role for the foreseeable future. Manziel flashed well in his lone start of the season, with McCown recovering from a concussion, but has not seen the field since. The fact that he was drinking at 2 p.m. on Monday, prior to the incident with his girlfriend, has been a major point of concern.
"This kid is such a competitor and he got a taste for it and made some plays and started a game and I think he thought he got the job back," said one team source. "So you had a bad feeling something might be coming and he might slip. I'm not sure he's wired to be a backup and he had really won people over, but I can't say it's a surprise that something like this happened after he ended up back on the bench."
Manziel was not arrested and faces no charges from a heated argument with his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, although he did admit to police he was drinking earlier that day. Police were looking into the nature of marks on Crowley's arms and witness accounts of a domestic incident (the couple was allowed to leave the scene together). While the NFL would not indicate it was reviewing the incident last weekend, once a dash-cam video was released during which Crowley claimed she was hit "a couple of times," the league then stated it was reviewing the matter.
There have been concerns about the sometimes turbulent nature of that relationship within the Browns hierarchy, sources said, and some have been hoping there would be separation for quite some time. Crowley is a college student who has been living with Manziel this season. Manziel was not disciplined by the team and has remained McCown's primary backup, dressing for games as he normally would.
