Johnny Manziel’s father now concerned for his son’s safety


Paul Manziel said he's worried that his son won't see his 24th birthday if the former Texas A&M star doesn't receive help.

In an interview with the Dallas Morning News, the older Manziel said his son twice has turned down family pleas to enter rehab this past week.

Earlier Friday, Manziel's agent dropped him as a client. It appears almost certain that the Cleveland Browns will cut Manziel, the team's first-round draft pick in 2014, next month.

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TMZ spoke with Manziel Thursday night. He said "I'm completely stable. I'm safe and secure."

Paul Manziel said he is worried that his son may attempt suicide.

The Morning News reported:

"The family first tried Saturday afternoon to get Manziel, 23, to agree to go to the Enterhealth Ranch addiction facility in Van Alstyne, but he would not stay. That attempt came after Manziel’s former girlfriend alleged in a police report that he hit her repeatedly at a Dallas hotel and while driving her home to Fort Worth on Jan. 29. Manziel has not been charged in the incident, but a Fort Worth Police helicopter searched the area for him.

Paul Manziel said that he tried to have his son admitted Tuesday to Carrollton Springs Hospital, but that Johnny was allowed to leave. Paul Manziel said that he is upset that his son was allowed to walk away after Paul told a Denton County Sheriff officer that he believed Johnny to be suicidal. A public information officer from the Denton County Sheriff’s office said it has no record of Manziel coming into contact with  an officer. Carrollton Springs is a 45-bed psychiatric and chemical dependency hospital in Carrollton, providing inpatient and outpatient treatment to adults suffering from mental illness and/or addiction, according to its website.”

Regarding the incident with Manziel's former girlfriend, the Dallas Police Department released a statement, saying, "A criminal investigation into the incident, in which Johnathan Manziel is the listed suspect, has been initiated.  Detectives will thoroughly investigate the case to determine what criminal charges, if any, will be filed and victim services will be offered. As there are many emotional factors involved, it is not uncommon for a victim of domestic violence to question or delay reporting an assault.  This is an on-going investigation and updates will be made as information becomes available."

In an interview with SiriusXM College Sports Nation earlier this week, A&M coach Kevin Sumlin also spoke about his concerns for the 2012 Heisman winner.

“I talked to him, probably a couple or three weeks ago, right after the season, and I’ve talked to him recently,” Sumlin said. “He needs to settle down. There’s a lot of things he has not been able to handle.

“As we’ve said to people all the time and we talk about it in our program, things just don’t keep happening to a person by chance. You got to stop and look in the mirror, and until that happens, until he decides to really, really get that handled, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Manziel went to rehab last February and stayed there 10 weeks. After his release, he apologized to his fans.

In a statement to the media earlier Friday, Manziel’s agent Erik Burkhardt said:

“Though I will remain a friend and Johnny supporter, and he knows I have worked tirelessly to arrange a number of professional options for him to continue to pursue, it has become painfully obvious that his future rests solely in his own hands,” the agent said in a statement.

“His family and I have gone to great lengths to outline the steps we feel he must take to get his life in order. Accountability is the foundation of any relationship, and without it the function of my work is counterproductive. I truly wish the best for Johnny and sincerely hope he can, and will, find the kind of peace and happiness he deserves.”

Manziel’s marketing agency, which is owned by NBA star LeBron James, also dropped him as a client.

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