The great Johnny Manziel. Known as Johnny Football, Manziel was the talk of the town when he stepped onto the NCAA playing field.
His talent was unbridled, and he was a quarterback like college football had never seen. During his first season in 2012 at Texas A&M, Manziel broke numerous records leading him to become the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
His streak continued when the Cleveland Browns drafted him as the 22nd overall 2014 NFL Draft pick.
But all of these dreams were sadly short-lived for Manziel, and his life quickly spiraled out of control after he started partying more than being focused on the game leading him to be let go from the Browns due to some off-field controversy (to put it mildly).
And now Manziel is opening up on his rocky past.
In Netflix’s newest Untold docuseries, they are dedicating an episode to pinpoint what caused the downfall of Johnny Football.
Manziel says in the opening moments of the trailer:
“When I got everything I ever wanted, I think that is when I felt the most empty inside.”
One of the more shocking pieces of information revealed in the documentary was that Johnny Manziel attempted suicide after being released from the Browns in 2016.
Manziel has always been candid about his substance abuse issues and how he struggled with his mental health on top of it. It was reported that in the documentary, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and refused to enter rehab before he went on a “$5 million bender” right before he attempted to end his life.
“I think I was just running from problems. Direct self-sabotage, trying to burn this thing down. I had planned to do everything that I wanted to do at that point in my life. Spend as much money as I possibly could, and then my plan was to take my life.”
Said Manziel.
“Months prior, (I) went and bought a gun that I knew I was gonna use.
I wanted it to get as bad as humanly possible to where it made sense, and it made it seem like an excuse and an out for me.”
Thankfully for Manziel, when he went to pull the trigger, the gun malfunctioned. He recalled hearing the gun “click” on him, not releasing a bullet.
ESPN reported that his father, Paul Manziel, said at the conclusion of the documentary.
Untold: Johhny Football premieres on Netflix on August 8th. Check out the documentary description if you need more convincing to tune in.
“In 2012, the brightest star in all of sports was an undersized freshman quarterback at unheralded Texas A&M, whose fervor on the field was rivaled only by his hard-partying ways off it – you can call him “Johnny Football.”
The magnetic football player captured the nation’s attention and initially relished his alter ego, but as the money rolled in, the scrutiny heightened, and Manziel rejected his newfound fame and suddenly lost his way. With astonishing candor, Manziel – along with his family, coaches, his former best friend, and his agent – details what happened behind the scenes as scandals piled up in the glare of paparazzi flashbulbs.
He had a controversial road, but Manziel went on to search for something even greater: inner peace and happiness with a quieter life that he reveals here.”
The documentary series will also follow the stories of Jake Paul rising to fame as a boxer through his YouTube presence, the story of Vic Conte’s involvement in one of the largest doping scandals in history, and tell the story of Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow leading the Florida Gators to their BCS National Championship.
If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
