On Tuesday, the Cleveland Browns released a statement regarding the latest incident and the status of quarterback Johnny Manziel with the team. Via clevelandbrowns.com, Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Sashi Brown, released the following:
"We've been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field. Johnny's continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization. His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time."
The news comes days after a domestic incident in which the police were called to Manziel's residence after a possible assault. Helicopters were used in the finding of the 21-year-old quarterback at the time of the incident.
According to Pat McManamon of ESPN, Sashi Brown's reference to the league rules is due to the lack of cap space on February 8th when NFL teams are allowed to make decisions on terminating players' contracts. On March 9th, the NFL's salary cap will increase, allowing the Browns to release Manziel and it will count $4.6 million against the cap.
Manziel's off-field actions have taken precedence over the growth of Manziel's on-field performance. If the Browns wanted to trade the quarterback, concerns over Manziel's behavior have done nothing but rise, creating an awfully compelling reason for teams not to trade for him.
The Browns have created many opportunities for Manziel to improve both on and off the field. After the latest incident, the reports of Manziel being spotted in Vegas the day before the team's home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and reportedly ignoring multiple attempts from ex-Browns quarterback, Bernie Kosar, to reach out, it seems the Browns have finished dealing with Manziel.
Manziel was drafted by the Browns as the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.