Johnny Manziel's longstanding beef with the city of Cleveland took another sour turn on Wednesday.
The Texas A&M legend and NFL bust got into a war of words with ESPN Cleveland radio host Tony Rizzo after Manziel said he hopes the Browns go 0-16 every year due to his treatment after being their No. 22 overall pick in 2014 last year.
"What did anyone do for you except root for you to win, and when it went south, OK, that's how it goes. Ask Baker [Mayfield]. But what, did someone hurt him? Is he a jilted lover? Was there an incident where somebody attacked him? Why the hate? Why the hate for the team that drafted you? Why?" Rizzo asked, said of Manziel's resurfaced comments.
Johnny Manziel was a disaster in Cleveland through two seasons. Getty Images
Manziel, the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner at Texas A&M, slid to the Browns in the draft, and his reign as the franchise QB didn't exactly pan out. In two seasons, he appeared in 15 games, going 2-6 in eight starts and racking up 1,675 total yards with seven touchdown passes to seven interceptions.
He famously was released after he missed the last game of the 2015 season to go on a bender in Las Vegas .
The 33-year-old did not hold back in his response to Rizzo, adding in a shot at current Browns QB Deshaun Watson.
"Rizz, you stupid c–t," Manziel wrote on X in a since-deleted post. "These comments were made in October of last year but of course you bored homos in the Cleveland media have nothing to speak about because your quarterback stopped banging massage therapists and you can only speak about losing so much to all of the people that listen to this trash ass show."
Watson was given a massive, fully guaranteed contract despite being sued by 26 women in civil court alleging sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage sessions, though he was never criminally indicted.
Tony Rizzo came after Johnny Manziel for his Cleveland hate.
Watson's NFL career has fallen off a cliff since he arrived in Cleveland, throwing for no more than 1,149 in three seasons under center for the Browns as he's struggled with injuries, off-the-field issues and declining form. He's thrown just 19 touchdowns in three seasons and was even benched at one point for poor play.
Manziel, who bounced from the CFL to the short-lived AAF to a stint in the Fan-Controlled Football League after his Browns career went bust, believes he was set up to fail in Cleveland.
"My tenure in Cleveland was doomed by a lot more people than just be[sic]. I've taken plenty of responsibility for my failures in that building and in that city," Manziel wrote. "Tom Brady couldn't have won with our roster from 2015. Just move on, f—k off and leave me out of this bullshit."
