Former Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer is opening up about the Johnny Manziel debacle, and his comments shouldn’t surprise anybody.
“The club has to be prepared to handle the player regardless of their celebrity, regardless of their position, regardless of what they’re required to do. The responsibility is born by both the club, and the player. When the club doesn’t follow up on its end, it makes it that much easier for players to get off track,” Farmer said during a Monday appearance on ESPN. (SLIDESHOW: This
He also added, “It’s celebrity. This player had unique celebrity that I don’t think the league has seen. That brings a whole new element of how you try to handle the person.” (PHOTOS: Check Out The Model Manziel Scooped Up During Unemployment)
.@AdamSchefter: Ray, knowing Johnny Manziel the way you do, what do you foresee his future to be right now?
Ray Farmer: Tenuous.
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 6, 2016
“This young man came in with a Rolling Stones magazine type of persona.” – Ray Farmer on Manziel pic.twitter.com/w9Lsln3Kwr
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 6, 2016
“(Manziel) had unique celebrity that I don’t think the league has seen in a lot of different players.” – Ray Farmer pic.twitter.com/eigmPIAo25
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 6, 2016
Farmer isn’t the only person tied to the former Heisman winner that is softening his position on the idea that Manziel was solely responsible for his downfall. His former agent recently talked about a much kinder and nicer side of Johnny Football that the media doesn’t see. (RELATED: Johnny Manziel’s Former Agent Reveals Side Of The Quarterback Nobody Sees)