He called it disappointing and said it was concerning when a player has a “repeated pattern of behavior” like Manziel.
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Pettine met with Manziel following practice Tuesday and informed him of his choice to bench him for the foreseeable future.
“It does have an impact,” Pettine said.
“I think all of us as people, myself included, we’re all a work in progress every day”, DeFilippo said.
“I’m not going to jump to any more conclusions”, Gruden said. A hard-partying lifestyle led him to spend more than 10 weeks this past offseason in an inpatient rehabilitation facility specializing in alcohol and drug addiction treatment.
The last straw for the Cleveland Browns was the video, which showed Manziel partying and holding a bottle of champagne while singing rap music after last week’s Ohio State-Michigan State game at Columbus, Ohio.
Josh McCown will start for the Browns Monday night against Baltimore.
Pettine admitted, though, that it will have a negative impact to the team because they wanted to evaluate their quarterback options in their remaining games. “The decision was made by the coach, and I think, overall, everybody respects that decision”.
According to Glazer and other reports, Manziel on November 23 told offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell the video was old.
ESPN’s Pat McManamon confirmed the report, but cited a league source in adding that Manziel might have kept his starting job had he not lied about what happened. I have a lot of confidence he’s going to turn the corner.
Asked if Manziel lied to the coaches about the party video, DeFilippo said, “I’m going to leave those conversations between myself and coach”. “When I say I’m sorry to disappoint, I’m not really”. We’re working with him every day. “Some of us deal with different issues”. We’re going in with a no holds barred mentality.
An easy win for Johnny, one which would have only increased fan support, is now a chance for Pettine to throw McCown back into favor with everyone.
Per Glazer, Manziel not only told the team that the photos weren’t taken over the weekend but also recruited others to vouch for the falsehood.
McCown will start when the Browns (2-8) host the Baltimore Ravens (3-7) next week on Monday Night Football after sitting out the last two games with a rib injury suffered October 25. “This is a setback, so obviously I was disappointed just like I’m sure Mike Pettine and the Browns were”.
“My hope for him is, whatever those choices that he’s making, that they’re healthy choices and they’re good for him as a person”, McCown said.
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“You have a vision of what you want the team to look like, how you want them to handle themselves when they’re out of the building”, he said. He’s preparing to go out there. “But when you’re a parent, you know the concept of tough love is usually the best”. I think we’d all agree on that.
