Johnny Manziel has long been candid about how alcohol derailed his NFL career. Now, the former Cleveland Browns quarterback is opening up about another vice that contributed to his downfall. That would be gambling.
Videos by FanBuzz
Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
Speaking on the latest episode of his Glory Daze podcast, Manziel admitted he developed what he called an "addiction to the NBA" during his brief playing career.
"I was addicted to the NBA," Manziel said. "It was the years of, like, [LeBron James] coming back to Cleveland, [Carmelo Anthony] still really good, Kobe [Bryant]... the Christmas games were, like, amazing. For me, I was so tapped in and hooked on weekly basketball, to get home from a practice and turn a game on at 7 or 8 o'clock at night. I was f—ing gambling. I was f—ing ripping NBA games every single day, tapped into it — loved it, bro, and was on like a crazy ride of it."
Manziel also described his time in casinos, recalling how he gambled away hundreds of thousands of dollars after learning about casino credit, which allows players to secure short-term loans.
"After I got cut in Cleveland I learned about casino credit, getting a wire and walking to the table and taking $100K out and being like, alright, start with $10K, lose it, and another $10K, $20K," Manziel said. "And you look up by the end of a weekend and you're going out and you just fly through $100K. No problem, no worries, chasing, just a tough spot to be in."
He added that one trip nearly led to criminal charges.
"I remember forgetting about it and going on another trip and going on a run and then getting a call like, 'Yo, you have 24 hours to pay this marker off or people in Las Vegas are gonna send a felony conviction out for your a- and they're coming to get you.' And it was like, 'Oh, sh-.'"
The gambling conversation came up with guest Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets, whose brother Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA earlier this year for betting on games.
Manziel, a former Heisman Trophy winner, has often said he partied his way out of football. His recent admission shows gambling was also part of the destructive pattern that cut short his NFL career
