5 reasons the Browns should not give up on Johnny Manziel
By Dani Bostick
3. The NFL is a football league, not a monastery
We’ve already covered that Manziel has been to rehab and that his recovery will likely be an ongoing process. Another factor to consider is that the NFL is rife with personal conduct problems.
That doesn’t mean that teams and the league should turn a blind eye to players with off-field problems. On the contrary, the league and many teams have done a better job in recent years of taking off-field crimes and lapses in judgment more seriously.
That said, so far this year, Manziel has been involved in a public altercation with his girlfriend and has been caught on video twice drinking. In the age of social media, it is nearly impossible that such choices will not become instant news.
Other players have made mistakes off field and ended up having successful NFL careers. And, if you are in the NFL, your career is football. If the NFL were about developing men into pious paragons of righteousness, then there would be no place for most professional football players. And, moreover, players would be expelled from the league before they had a chance to turn their lives around.
Not all role models in the NFL started off that way. The appeal of some of these role models is that they show it is possible to change and improve one’s life. New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall is an excellent example of this phenomenon. He was embroiled in near-constant controversy before a stint in treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder.
Now, Marshall has devoted his life to reducing the stigma of mental illness, speaking freely of his experience and doing much good in the community.
Does this mean Manziel will become the next poster boy for positive change? No, and he doesn’t have to be. There is, however, room for men like Manziel in the NFL. Men like Manziel are regular people who make dumb choices, regrettable mistakes, and don’t morph into perfect people overnight, even if their intent is to do better and try harder.
Sometimes their best isn’t very good. It is disappointing, but true.
Next: 2. There is a shortage elite quarterbacks in the NFL