Johnny Manziel Debunks The “Biggest Bust” Theories, Throws Justin Gilbert Under the Bus

Johnny Manziel was the first freshman player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

Johnny Manziel Debunks The “Biggest Bust” Theories, Throws Justin Gilbert Under the Bus

Johnny Manziel, Justin Gilbert (Image via NBC Sports/CNN)

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Hailing from a small town in Texas called Kerrville, Johnny Manziel rose to national fame in 2012 when he rewrote numerous records playing for the Texas A&M Aggies. He became the first freshman to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy after he set the most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback (1,410).

He set the bar even higher in his sophomore season with better statistical performance. After foregoing his junior year, Manziel was drafted 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns following a stellar show at the Texas Pro Day. However, as soon as the spotlight came on, his off-field controversies took center stage.

After two seasons, Johnny Manziel was let go from the Browns and finished his career in Fan Controlled Football. His trajectory from his high school days to his professional career was like a rollercoaster that went down. It was something the football world calls a bust.

However, Manziel doesn’t think so. In a true Johnny Football fashion, Manziel has thrown a fellow player under the bus while naming the biggest bust of his draft class. Manziel said on the Glory Daze podcast:

I wasn’t even the biggest, and respect to Justin Gilbert, I love him as a human being, but we both flamed out. We both (expletive) struggled, and he went [14] picks before me, so like, I’m not even the biggest bust in my class from the Browns.

The Browns selected Justin Gilbert as the eighth pick of the draft. Gilbert, an Oklahoma product, struggled in his short-lived professional career. Similar to Manziel, Gilbert also spent two seasons in Cleveland, but he played for one more team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In three seasons, he started three times while playing 35 games. He recorded 42 tackles while intercepting just once for 23 yards. He also scored on a defensive touchdown. After a long hiatus from the game following a one-year suspension for breaking the league’s drug policy, Gilbert signed with the Sioux City Bandits, who play in the National Arena League.

Johnny Manziel was troubled by the city and its winter

In a 2018 interview on “Good Morning America”, Johnny Manziel admitted that he suffers from bipolar disorder and he was taking medications for it. He also revealed that he planned to return to the football field soon. He did, in fact, return to football or at least some of it.

Johnny Manziel
Johnny Manziel (Image via FOX News)

In an appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, Manziel admitted that living in Cleveland took a toll on his already declining mental health.

Man, I hated Cleveland. That place definitely (expletive) ate into my depression a little, for sure.

The former quarterback also said that anywhere except Cleveland would have been enough for him when the hosts posed a question about whether there was any team he would have preferred they pick him. The Browns are historically not the preferred spot for any young player. He added that the dreary atmosphere in the state wasn’t ideal for him.

Even in the beginning, I was like, ‘Okay. We can work with this here a little bit’. And then that first real November, the brutal winter was there. Coming from Texas, it was tough sledding for me for sure.

In the same podcast, he also touched upon the factors that led to his downfall. The quarterback had a stellar resume before his vices thrashed his reputation. Manziel even admitted that he could have developed into a better player if he had worked that hard to take it to that level. However, not everyone was fine with his Cleveland shade.

Also Read: Former Browns QB Johnny Manziel begged for ex-wife’s forgiveness after cheating scandal