'I had lost 40lbs': Ex-NFL star Johnny Manziel opens up about struggles with drug abuse and depression
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Johnny Manziel appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay' podcast and talked in detail about his struggling years.
The former quarterback recalled battling depression and drug abuse and losing over 40lbs in 2015.
“I was 210lbs when I left Cleveland, I was 170lbs sitting in Vegas that August, September, October,” Manziel said, before adding, “How do you lose 40lbs? You’re on a strict diet of blow.”
Johnny Manziel recalled tough times at Cleveland
The Heisman Trophy champion had a hard time coming out of his addiction. "At that point in time, man, I would look in a mirror and I didn't see myself any different than when I was in Cleveland,” he said.
“Until I stepped on a scale at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, I didn't realize I had lost 40 pounds at all," Manziel said.
The quarterback was once the center of attention in the NFL, but eventually lost it all and was kicked out of the Cleveland Browns.
“There were a lot of people that I let down. And I truly feel like him and LeBron were people that I really really let down,” the 31-year-old said.
Johnny Manziel pulls up to the Club and says he would’ve made $10M in NIL money! Do you agree? He also apologizes to Drake, LeBron and Skip for letting them down.
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) February 21, 2024
Get ready to know the man behind the legend! Full episode is available wherever you get your podcast tomorrow at… pic.twitter.com/tTvY7KCiuL
When Johnny Manziel ignored LeBron James' texts
Once landing in Cleveland after two years at Texas A&M, Johnny Manziel connected with the basketball legend LeBron James and his sports marketing guru-friend Maverick Carter.
“What I did, and the way I carried myself, and the way that I was in my time in Cleveland was pure, blatant disrespect to them [James and Carter] giving me everything that I ever needed to be successful," he said.
Manziel recalled his bout with depression and said, "LeBron would text me every week to come over to the house and watch a game or play poker with the boys and just tried to be there."
View this post on Instagram
"And I was so depressed for the first time in my life that even my biggest role model and inspiration in my life couldn't get me out of bed to come and hang out with him," he added.
“It’s easy to let ego and fame and stuff kind of creep back in,” he said, as per People.
“I’ve insulated myself in a way with a team that I can trust people that I love that are doing nothing but looking out for my best wishes, best regards. They know me, they're not letting me cheat, they’re holding me accountable and it's not going to happen overnight. It is gonna be a slow, gradual process to get to where I want to be as a man," Manziel said.
