He used to be known as "Johnny Football." He used to be a Heisman winner. He used to be a first-round draft pick, and he used to be the Texas A&M Aggies' golden boy.
Now, he's just a football player, and even that title will be removed come this March.
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Johnny Manziel rose to stardom his redshirt freshman season in college as he scrambled and hurdled his way to a Heisman Trophy.
He continued to improve, and in 2014, he was drafted No. 22 overall by the Cleveland Browns.
Several experts thought Manziel would be taken even higher, and so the quarterback's frustration was shown on camera until the Browns finally picked him up late in the first round.
LeBron James, who had just returned to the Cavaliers, celebrated the young quarterback. Many in a city that has been in a title drought since 1964 believed Manziel to be the savior of Browns football, but that thought quickly diminished.
Manziel showed signs of promise during his rookie season, but his partying lifestyle and the proof of him doing so seemed to follow him with every step, like a shadow he couldn't seem to avoid.
But it's not like he was trying to avoid it, either.
The Browns and his family sent Manziel to rehab time and time again, each effort coming to no avail.
Now, in the midst of the offseason of his sophomore campaign in the league, Manziel is no longer flailing. It seems that he has completely drowned.
A report recently stated that Manziel's ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, told Dallas police that he had "dragged her by the hair, forced her into a car and said 'Shut up or I'll kill you.'"
Most people probably didn't think the situation to be all that serious considering Manziel's buffoonish ways, but this accusation, as well as a fearful statement from Manziel's father, Paul, greatly increase the gravity of the situation.
The elder Manziel told reporters that he didn't believe his 23-year-old son would live to see his next birthday if he didn't change his habits, and his worrisome prediction isn't far from the truth considering his son's addictions.
At this point, it is all but certain that the Browns will cut the former star quarterback. It is all but certain that no other team will be willing to take a chance on the problem-riddled "Money Manziel" anytime soon, and since he hasn't gone to rehab, it is almost certain that Manziel's football career is over.
Manziel once lit up the scoreboards for the "Fightin' Aggies" of A&M. He once performed circus acts with his body as he twisted and turned his way around defensive linemen and into the end zone, even catching his own pass at one point after it had been batted down by an Alabama defender.
He once was the greatest thing to ever happen to college football.
Now, however, it seems that he is a combination of the best and worst things to have ever happened to the sport altogether.
While many agree that Manziel's acrobatics in college and accusations in the NFL lie on two different ends of a very large spectrum, it is supposed that some good can be taken from Manziel's lifestyle and what it has lead to.
If anything, future stars can look to Manziel as an example of who not to be.
They can choose to be the deciding factors in bringing integrity and respectful behavior back into a game that Manziel has all but disgraced, and Manziel himself can (and does) provide such a contrast to the Drew Breeses and Russell Wilsons of the NFL that fans can't help to see the good amidst a whole lot of bad.
For now, nothing can be done to save the once-gun-slinging magician of a quarterback.
Instead, fans can only hope that interventions will be held and steps will be taken to bring Manziel back down to Earth and maybe, just maybe, back to the gridiron of an NFL stadium.
I'll admit, it's not too likely.
But if Manziel can turn from his ways and start his football career anew, it is certain that that would be the greatest trick of them all.
