DALLAS (AP) – Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on a misdemeanor charge stemming from a domestic violence complaint by his ex-girlfriend. The former Heisman Trophy victor was questioned by Avon, Ohio, police last week after Manziel got into an argument with his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley.
Advertisement
Attorney Robert Hinton told ESPN that prosecutors have notified him they expect a local grand jury to sign off on a misdemeanor assault charge for family violence. If tried and convicted, he could face up to a year in jail.
The final incident led to National Football League super-agent Drew Rosenhaus to drop Manziel after previously giving him a one-week ultimatum to check into rehab. Brady regained the top spot from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
The indictment is just the latest in an increasingly long line of setbacks for Manziel, who has been dropped by his team, two agents and sponsor Nike this year alone. Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk has yet to confirm or release the indictment, but an indictment is likely given that a “no bill” in his case was not issued when the grand jury met on Thursday.
He played two seasons with the Aggies before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2014 following his sophomore season.
Leaving treatment after 73 days Manziel vowed to “take responsibility” for his actions and managed to avoid trouble for the next several months. He thanked “those who really know me and support” him.
“I’m hoping to take care of the issues in front of me right now so I can focus on what I have to do if I want to play in 2016”, Manziel said in a statement to USA Today.
KRLD also reported Manziel and Crowley reached an out-of-court settlement.
The allegations stem from a night out on January 30. Crowley said she was anxious Manziel was on drugs or having a “psychotic break” and claimed he said he was going to kill himself as he drove her back to her apartment in Fort Worth. Crowley’s affidavit says Manziel struck her in the left ear when she attempted to jump out of the vehicle, which caused her to lose some of her hearing.
Advertisement
Investigators interviewed witnesses at the hotel and reviewed hotel video. The initial grand jury did not indict Manziel and a second convened last week.
