Johnny Manziel apologizes to Browns, says he’s working to earn back trust
Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel is out of rehab, and he might not be ready to discuss his various difficulties, but he is ready to say he’s sorry.
In a statement released by Manziel through the team, he said:
“I would like to thank my family, friends, the Browns organization, my teammates, and Browns fans everywhere, for your patience, understanding, and support during my stay at Caron. The doctors and staff have been amazing and what I’ve learned in the last couple of months has been tremendous. I owe private apologies to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization and the fans that I let down. I take full responsibility for my actions and it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect.
“I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say. I also understand there’s a lot of curiosity about this but anyone who has a friend or family-member that’s been through things like this knows it’s an ongoing process. I’m going to continue to ask folks to try to respect my privacy as I determine to what degree I am comfortable talking about a subject which I consider very personal. Most of you have been considerate about that and I thank you for it. I look forward to seeing my teammates next week and focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be.”
Some of Manziel’s teammates, such as Joe Thomas and Donte Whitner, have said that they are hoping to see Manziel show a different side in his second season with the team and earn back his trust. This statement, even if Manziel didn’t himself pen it (notice the Oxford comma? Nice touch!), is a good start, post-rehab, towards that end.
Manziel is trying his best to keep on the down low, or so he says, and yet eventually he’s going to have to face the media and rehash a lot of this stuff. He also might be exposed to the behind-the-scenes cameras of “Hard Knocks” — ratings! — if HBO has its way.
So this thing has a long way to go. But if you’re the Browns, you have to feel good about the first step back by their talented but troubled quarterback.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
