Johnny Manziel, who will be starting his second year with the Cleveland Browns, issued an apology to fans and the team. The quarterback, who recently did a stint in rehab, also said he takes full responsibility for his actions.
Manziel and the Browns said in February that he was going to rehab, but no official reason was given. He reportedly completed a drug and alcohol treatment facility earlier this month.
The Browns released a new statement from Manziel today, in which he thanked his friends, family, the Browns and fans for their “patience, understanding, and support.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions and it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect,” he said. “I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say.”
He also asked that his privacy be respected and thanked everyone for being considerate. He concluded the statement by saying he is looking “forward to seeing my teammates next week and focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be.”
Manziel, 22, will again have to compete for the starting job, as the Browns signed Josh McCown in the offseason.
Here is Manziel’s statement in full:
“I would like to thank my family, friends, the Browns organization, my teammates, and Browns fans everywhere, for your patience, understanding, and support during my stay at Caron. The doctors and staff have been amazing and what I’ve learned in the last couple of months has been tremendous. I owe private apologies to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization and the fans that I let down. I take full responsibility for my actions and it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect. I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say. I also understand there’s a lot of curiosity about this but anyone who has a friend or family-member that’s been through things like this knows it’s an ongoing process. I’m going to continue to ask folks to try to respect my privacy as I determine to what degree I am comfortable talking about a subject which I consider very personal. Most of you have been considerate about that and I thank you for it. I look forward to seeing my teammates next week and focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be.”
image from Browns.com