Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel demoted to third string a week after being named starting quarterback by coach Mike Pettine, By Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's leader in Black digital news
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Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine |
CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM-CLEVELAND, Ohio- Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has been demoted by head coach Mike Pettine from starting quarterback to third string a week after he was named to the starting position with hoopla and praise from his vacillating coach.
Pettine benched Manziel, a Heisman Trophy winner and the team's 2014 first-round pick, after a video surface on Monday of Manziel, a Texan whose grandfather's family migrated to America and got rich in the petroleum industry, partying in Austin, Texas.
The now infamous video, which shows Manziel at a night club singing and allegedly drinking champagne, was made public allegedly after Pettine advised Manziel, 22, to behave off the field, and particularly during the five days off for the bye weekend leading up to the Nov 30 game at FirstEnergy Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens.
Last week Manziel was named the starter for the final six games of the regular season, replacing Josh McCown, who had been out injured and will now start again, according to Pettine, who also announced that he had contacted Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Ray Farmer to apprise them of his decision.
Austin Davis was named the second string quarterback, Pettine said.
Manziel recently spent 10 weeks in an alcohol addiction treatment center and has said that the incident allegedly occurred before he was named starting quarterback last week.
Pettine has said that Manziel may not even dress for the game on Nov 30 and that his future with the Browns, which have a mediocre 2-8 win-loss record this season, is uncertain.
"Everyone in this organization wants what is best for Johnny just like we do for every player in our locker room,'' Pettine said in a press statement. "I'm especially disappointed in his actions and behavior because he has been working very hard. "
Manziel admitted that he visited Texas and attended the Ohio State University game over the weekend.
Sources said yesterday that Pettine is fickle and needed an excuse to rename McCown, whose rib injuries have sidelined him in recent games, to the starting quarterback position.
Manziel's public life since joining the Browns has been fodder for news outlets, and he was cleared just last week by the NFL relative to a road rage incident involving his girlfriend.
(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com).
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