Cleveland Browns not worried about Johnny Manziel leaving for MLB

By Alex Schlinsky | Jun 12, 2014

May 16, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel before throwing out the first pitch prior to the San Diego Padres game against the Washington Nationals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Johnny Manziel was drafted twice in the span of a month by two different teams in two different sports. The former Heisman trophy winner and Texas A&M quarterback was selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns during the 2014 NFL Draft. About a month later, the San Diego Padres selected Manziel with the 837th overall pick in the 28th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.

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Although picking up a bat in favor of throwing a football will guarantee less hits on his body, the Cleveland Browns’ head coach Mike Pettine is not worried about Manziel playing baseball (Courtesy of ProFootballTalk):

"My first question was I didn’t really even realize that he played baseball. I think it was back in high school, and I didn’t even get a chance to talk to him about it."

The fact of the matter is that Manziel was never interested in playing baseball, and never made any inkling that he would choose to play in the MLB over the NFL. With those facts laid down, it seems that the Padres were simply hoping to stir the pot and raise some eyebrows when they drafted Manziel.

Pettine would not directly say whether or not he believes it was a publicity stunt by the Padres:

"I don’t know. When I heard it, somebody texted me about it, and I didn’t think it was that big of a deal because the kid’s die-hard football. It was a bit of a surprise."

Manziel was not available to comment, but Pettine assured reporters that Johnny Football will be sticking with the Browns and the NFL for years to come.