Who Is Johnny Manziel?
Johnny Manziel is a former American football quarterback best known for his record-setting career at Texas A&M, where he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012 and earned the nickname “Johnny Football.”[2] His dynamic dual‑threat style and flair made him a national phenomenon and a symbol of the SEC’s rise as college football’s dominant stage.[2][3]
Drafted 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2014, Manziel was expected to translate his college magic to the NFL but struggled with consistency, preparation, and the increased demands of professional football.[2][1] Off‑field controversies—from a 2012 arrest to domestic violence allegations, substance issues, and viral partying clips—overshadowed his brief career and led to his release from the Browns in 2016 and loss of endorsements.[2][1]
Life After the NFL
After leaving the NFL, Manziel attempted to revive his playing career in the CFL, The Spring League, the Alliance of American Football, and later Fan Controlled Football, but none of these stops produced a sustained comeback.[2] During this stretch, he increasingly shared his mental health struggles, including a bipolar diagnosis and a period in which he contemplated ending his life, shifting the public narrative toward empathy and concern.[2][4]
The Netflix documentary “Untold: Johnny Football” further explored his meteoric rise, chaotic lifestyle, and painful fallout, cementing his status as one of football’s most talked‑about cautionary tales.[4] He has since embraced a more open role discussing the pressures of fame and the lack of support structures that contributed to his collapse, making his post‑NFL story a key reference point in debates over player welfare and accountability.[2][4]
What Johnny Manziel Is Doing Now
Today, Manziel operates primarily as a media personality and public figure connected to college football culture. He appears at events such as SEC gatherings, joins interviews with major networks, and hosts the podcast “Glory Daze,” where he revisits his past and comments on the modern game, including how NIL might have changed his own career decisions.[3][4] His perspective as a once‑generational college star who burned out quickly in the NFL gives his commentary particular weight for current athletes navigating fame and money.[3]
Recent developments show that Manziel’s journey remains complicated. In 2025, a widely shared social media post describing a “wild month” and a $20,000 gambling loss raised fears of a potential relapse into high‑risk behavior, even as he continues to position himself as a story of redemption.[4] Adding to the turbulence, his mother’s 2025 DUI arrest in their home region of Texas kept the family in the headlines and underscored how difficult it has been to fully distance the Manziel name from off‑field trouble.[1] Nevertheless, his ongoing visibility and candid discussions about mental health and fame ensure that Johnny Manziel still shapes conversations far beyond what he once did on the field.[3][4]