Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Johnny Manziel describes feeling ’empty inside’ during NFL career in preview of Netflix’s 'Untold'

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Suzanne Halliburton | Last updated 7/18/23

Johnny Manziel electrified the crowds at Kyle Field a decade ago. He gave up his final two seasons of eligibility at Texas A&M and stepped to the NFL Draft stage snapping his fingers with his infamous money sign.

In 2014, Manziel had everything. There was the Heisman Trophy he won in 2012, becoming the first redshirt freshman to do so. And he played well enough as an Aggie sophomore to capture the attention of the NFL. The Browns selected him with the 22nd pick of the first round. Manziel was the second quarterback off the board, behind only Missouri’s Blake Bortles.

That evening on the draft stage represented the zenith of Johnny Manziel’s football career. He was out of the NFL after two years. Manziel road tripping to Vegas when he supposedly had a concussion was the end for Cleveland. Now, he’s a chapter in Netflix’s docuseries, Untold. A trailer of the new series dropped Tuesday.

“I thought I played better the harder I partied,” Johnny Manziel said in the trailer. His hour will touch on his antics at A&M and the NFL. “Nineteen-year-old kid, a hundred grand stuffed under your bed, it was awesome.

Johnny Manziel episode drops Aug. 8

The series premieres Aug. 1. Manziel’s hour is scheduled for Aug. 8. The Netflix trailer also included clips of the other three subjects Untold will examine. There’s Manziel and the Florida Gators football team coached by Urban Meyer (so expect a heavy dose of Tim Tebow). Youtube star and boxer Logan Paul gets an hour. And so does Victor Conte, the subject of the Balco steroid investigation.

After Johnny Manziel won the Heisman, his on-field career supplied highlights for the Aggies, while his off-field exploits made TMZ. He partied with Drake and Justin Bieber. There also were allegations of domestic abuse with his then girlfriend. That’s when his marketing agency and agent dropped him. He tried to restart his career. And he married an Instagram model. The relationship ended in divorce.

Football used to center everything. But it no longer could control him. Manziel dropped from the CFL. He signed with the Spring League, then ended up with the AAF before it folded. By 2021, he was with the Fan Controlled Football League.

“When I got everything that I wanted, I think I was the most empty I ever felt inside,” Johnny Manziel said in the trailer.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: