The CFL isn’t quite ready to welcome Johnny Manziel to their league, but their commissioner said he felt “good” about what he heard from Manziel himself.
Via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said he spoke to Manziel in September about a chance to play north of the border, but stopped short of saying he was prepared to clear him to play.
“He represented himself incredibly well [in the meeting],” Ambrosie said. “He was thoughtful. I found him to be authentic and sincere. I also felt like he seems to have come to a good place in his life. He was talking a lot about his family. Now, I should say that’s part of the problem. My bias is towards family. So when I’m with somebody in there talking about my family, immediately I feel good about the conversation.
“That’s exactly why we feel for any player who has had some trouble in their past. It’s important to not let the laypeople be the only part of the decision-making process. That’s why we’ve implemented a process where we’ll lean very heavily on experts who have training and skill that will allow them to really understand where somebody is in their personal journey and be able to give me wise counsel.”
Ambrosie said Manziel would have to talk to investigators about his past, including the 2016 domestic violence arrest, which proved to be the last straw for the Browns with their former first-round pick. That charge was later dismissed, though he has to complete an anger management class, along with other programs.
Given his background, Ambrosie said the league wanted to make sure they’re not taking an undue risk by signing someone else’s problems. Manziel’s rights are held by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and coach June Jones certainly sounded optimistic about his chances, saying Manziel could be “the best player to ever play up here.”
But as with most things Manziel, the playing is only a small part of the consideration.