Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel has revealed he tried to take his own life after he was cut in 2016.
Manziel, a former quarterback for Texas A&M and the Cleveland Browns, is the subject of a new Netflix documentary called ‘Untold: Johnny Football’ in which he opened up on one of the most troubling periods in his life: when he got released by Cleveland after the 2015 season.
The erstwhile QB, who revealed he dropped from 215lbs to 175lbs because of drugs, faced a misdemeanor assault charge after he was accused of hitting and threatening his then-girlfriend in January 2016. His attorneys reached an agreement to have the charges dropped on certain conditions. But the Browns cut him two months later, after which he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“The wires in my head seemed very twisted,” he explained.
Manziel said he refused rehab and went on a $5 million spending spree.
“I had planned to do everything 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,” he recalled. “I wanted 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.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Having bought a firearm months earlier, he claimed he tried to take his own life but it malfunctioned when he pulled the trigger.
“Still to this day, don’t know what happened. But the gun just clicked on me,” he said.
Manziel’s relationship with his family broke down, mostly due to the fact that he refused treatment. But he returned to his family’s home in Texas after the failed suicide attempt.
Thankfully, things turned out the way they did. But they would have played out differently had the gun worked the way it was expected to.
NOTE: If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or at 988lifeline.org.
