The agent for Johnny Manziel announced Friday that he has cut ties with the embattled Cleveland Browns quarterback.
Erik Burkhardt said that he came to the decision to drop Manziel — who was investigated for allegedly hitting his ex-girlfriend in Texas last weekend — after it “became painfully obvious that his future rests solely in his own hands.”
Burkhardt said the decision to sever ties with Manziel wasn’t an easy one, and such a move by an agent is very rare. Burkhardt landed Manziel — easily his highest-profile client — after Mazniel seized the 2012 Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M. Manziel was drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Browns.
“It is with deep regret that, after several emotional and very personal discussions with his family, his doctors, and my client himself, I have made the decision to terminate my professional relationship with Johnny Manziel,” Burkhardt said.
Burkhardt added he “will remain a friend and Johnny supporter.”
These were the first public comments by Burkhardt since Mazniel skipped the Browns’ final game of the season — and a meeting with team medical personnel treating his concussion — for a trip to Las Vegas that USA TODAY Sports reported on Jan. 2.
A woman, who described herself as Manziel’s ex-girlfriend, told police that Manziel hit her several times and appeared to be “some kind of drugs” during the altercation in the Dallas area early Saturday morning, according to information from a Forth Worth police report released on Thursday.
The Fort Worth police passed along its report to the Dallas police, which issued a statement that Manziel would not be charged.
The NFL issued a statement on Thursday that said it was aware of the police report and the league was investigating.
In wake of the alleged incident, Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said Manziel’s conduct “undermines the hard work of his teammates” and his future with the team is under review.