At a time when Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has been firing plenty of employees, there’s one guy who can defy him without consequence.
And he apparently is.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN recently reported that Haslam wants Manziel to tone it down. Not that Mort needs us or anyone else to confirm his report, but it’s accurate; regardless of comments suggesting that the Browns have no issue with Manziel’s “work hard, play harder” motto, the Browns don’t like it.
Manziel presumably knows it. And after a couple of fairly quiet weekends, Manziel made a big splash on Monday night by hanging out with . . . Justin Bieber.
Yes, Bieber. The BFF of Keyshawn Johnson. The child-man-child who periodically seems to be in the process of imploding.
Via The Big Lead, Manziel partied last night in Hollywood with Bieber, Floyd Mayweather, and Tyrese. Bieber posted photos of the get-together on social media. Per TMZ, police were twice called to Bieber’s house due to noise (possibly by Keyshawn).
From the Browns’ perspective, it’s the latest example of Manziel keeping anything but a low profile as he enjoys his time away from work. And it’s evidence that he indeed won’t change, even if his employer asks him to. From the NFL’s perspective, the powers-that-be can’t be thrilled about Manziel’s open association with Mayweather, a notorious, high-stakes gambler.
The only possible good news for the Browns is that Manziel seems to have an “oh crap I probably shouldn’t be doing this” look on his face.
On one hand, Manziel has yet to get in trouble. On the other hand, he’s flying fairly close to the sun on wings of pastrami. It may be only a matter of time before Manziel lands on the wrong side of the line on which he’s currently popping and locking.