Though they won't say it publicly, the Cleveland Browns seem poised to cut the cord with controversial quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said in a statement Tuesday that Manziel's behavior "undermines the hard work of his teammates."
Saturday, Fort Worth police filed a report after receiving a call about a disturbance involving Manziel and a woman who described herself to officers as his ex-girlfriend.
"We've been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field. Johnny's continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization," said Brown.
"His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time."
The new league year does not begin until March 9, and multiple reports claim Manziel will be released on that date.
NFL teams can begin waiving players as soon as Monday. But the Browns will likely wait because Manziel's remaining base salary guarantees (about $2.17 million) would accelerate onto the cap immediately, and they already rolled over all their unused space from 2015.
It's also possible Cleveland might still find a trade partner who might be willing to part with even a low draft pick for Manziel's services.
New Browns coach Hue Jackson has repeatedly said Manziel is under evaluation like all of Cleveland's players. However Jackson reportedly has already decided to move on from Johnny Football, a first-round pick just two years ago.
"My general reaction would be disappointment," Jackson told ESPN Cleveland 850 on Tuesday morning when asked about the latest incident.
"As I've said many times, I would like for the Cleveland Browns' players to conduct themselves in a manner that represents the organization well. Obviously, that reflected differently on what we want to have happen. Obviously, it's a process that we're going through, and we'll continue to go through it."
Owner Jimmy Haslam recently expressed hope that the former Heisman Trophy winner's hitch with the organization could be salvaged.
Manziel spent roughly ten weeks in rehabilitation for an undisclosed reason last offseason. Though his play improved on the field in 2015, his off-field maturity apparently did not. He and his girlfriend were questioned by police for an incident on the highway on a day when both admitted to drinking last October, but no arrests were made. Manziel lost the starting job after another apparent night of partying midseason and also missed the team's final game — and his mandated checkup for a concussion — despite being spotted in Las Vegas that weekend.
Cleveland holds the second pick of the 2016 draft and could be poised to draft a quarterback in the first round for the third time in five years. Ex-Brown Brandon Weeden was picked in Round 1 in 2012.
Contributing: Tom Pelissero
