Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has received a four-game suspension from the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday.
No specifics about the exact substance were given, but TMZ claims that it a performance-enhancing drug didn't trigger the suspension. Given that Manziel is a "druggie," according to his father, one can only guess at what substance the NFL caught Manziel abusing.
The suspension will come into effect for the upcoming 2016-17 season, according to TMZ. It's unlikely, however, that the free agent will make a team to tangibly serve the suspension.
Given that Manziel's gone AWOL with his partying this offseason and has shunned help from his family and the league, this four-game suspension will pass as Manziel remains unemployed. Manziel's lawyer Jim Darnell told ESPN earlier this June that his client was aiming to return to the field in 2016 -- presumably after committing to sobriety on July 1 -- but this suspension means a 2017 comeback attempt is more likely.
Even if he signs with a team in 2016 or 2017, another suspension for violating the NFL's domestic violence policy is looming. In May, he was indicted on domestic violence charges stemming from a January incident with ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley. Manziel allegedly kidnapped, hit and threatened to kill her, leaving Crowley with impaired hearing in one ear. He's reportedly seeking a plea deal in the case.
With a serious drug suspension finally handed down and a domestic violence punishment incoming, Manziel's NFL career is more in jeopardy than ever before.
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