Johnny Manziel feels a lot like his bosses with the Cleveland Browns. He wants to wake up on a weekend and not see a headline about Johnny Manziel.
"I don't think I'm doing anything wrong," Manziel said Friday, via NFL Media's Aditi Kinkhabwala. "If I want to be with my friends during my free time, I have the right."
When asked whether he would be answering his famous money phone again anytime soon, Manziel made it clear he didn't want to address something that was in the past. He doesn't see his actions as unique among his fellow rookies.
"I'm not any different, except things get blown out of proportion sometimes and people seem to follow me a little bit," Manziel said. "Just because of what's reported in the media or what's getting out on social media doesn't mean that's all I'm doing in my life. Just my weekends aren't what I'm doing seven days a week -- that's two days out of the week and there's five to six other days that I'm here at this building going through my playbook, working out just like every other rookie is."
It's hard to disagree. There's no reason to think Manziel's social media exploits have anything to do with his performance on the field. He's not the first young superstar quarterback with a lot of attention, but the level of nonstop coverage has ramped up in recent years.
Manziel, who was speaking at a Play 60 event in connection to the NFL Rookie Symposium, wants to limit his exposure by not being caught on camera so much. But that's more about media strategy; he has no desire to change his behavior.
"I'm not gonna go to change who I am for anybody. I'm growing up and continuing to learn from my mistakes and trying not to make the same ones over and over again," Manziel said. "But am I gonnna live in a shell, or am I just going to hide from everybody and not do anything? I don't think that's the way I should live my life and I'm not going to do it. I am here, I am very committed to football, I'm committed to my job, but on the weekends I'm going to enjoy my time off. I mean, I think I deserve it."
*The latest "Around The League Podcast" ranks the league's top tight ends and debates Andrew Luck vs. Cam Newton. *
