Johnny Manziel Has Been Released And Is Now Banned From The CFL
Uh, this entire thing is pretty bizarre. While it seems like nobody has all the details, the most telling line: “We worked with the league and presented alternatives to Johnny, who was unwilling to proceed.”
From what it looks like this release was not even Montreal’s call, but a league decision. So ya, it’s pretty clear Johnny was at fault for some sort of breach of contract. But they haven’t said WHAT he did wrong yet and honesty, the imagination can run wild here. But if the CFL is saying teams can’t sign him… obviously they’re pissed at him. So he’s essentially banned from the entire league. Not great.
Yes, I did a podcast with these guys for the CFB season. But I’d be lying if I acted like I had any clue this was happening. I was given 0.0 heads up. My guess is this may be a surprise to Johnny himself.
But the news is pretty shocking seeing as the CFL seemed to be a good route to getting him back to the NFL. You know, #ComebackSZN. I am and will always be Team Johnny because I believe in second chances, so I’m hoping this is nothing serious.
There may have been a little foreshadowing from Johnny on the last episode of Comeback SZN…
“[The AAF] is great for football, it’s great for the guys who need more opportunity, need more film and time to play. I don’t know exactly what my exact steps will be for the next years coming up, but at least there’s a lot of options. Me and E.B. [agent Erik Burkhardt] are fully committed to playing ball and trying to get into the best situation possible and that’s what it’s all about.”
“Just keep going. It’s easy to get discouraged, especially with how things have gone every single day. It’s just trying to win the day-by-day, the one day battle of trying to win that day to do good as good as you can. It hasn’t always been easy – hit some speed bumps here and there – but I’m playing ball. I’m back to a position where I can do what I love doing and what a great year and opportunity it’s been for me.”
I’ve reached out to Johnny and EB and am waiting to hear back. Not much I can do other than that. But for now, I’d say the AAF and the XFL are definitely at play. Story developing…
Update: