Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel hasn’t played in weeks, but still landed in the news recently because of his involvement in an altercation early last Saturday morning outside an elevator at a hotel/apartment complex in Cleveland.
Manziel and his “entourage” were accused of assaulting a man named Chris Gonos who asked Manziel for a hug upon seeing him waiting for the elevator, but allegedly received a punch to the jaw instead. Manziel’s agent Erik Burkhardt said this week that Manziel and his roommate were defending themselves after being “accosted” by Gonos and his associates.
Manziel addressed the reports on Friday and painted a similar picture of the interaction. Manziel said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that Gonos was “very aggressive” and “very intoxicated” when he “put his hands on me” to touch off the incident. Manziel said he felt that he and his roommate did their best to defuse the situation and Cabot adds that Manziel’s face showed no signs of being smashed by a punch, as Gonos claimed it was while discussing the incident after the initial reports broke.
Browns General Manager Ray Farmer and coach Mike Pettine both took issue with the fact that Manziel was out at 2:30 in the morning, but there doesn’t appear to be any disciplinary action coming from either the team or the league as a result of the incident.