Johnny Manziel can still draw a crowd, even if it’s miles away from a football field.
Roughly 150 fans shelled out $99 apiece for a photo or autograph from the NFL flunkout during Thursday’s modest 90-minute signing event at Stadium Signatures in Katy, Texas, 20 miles away from the site of Super Bowl LI in Houston. Pairing his Texas A&M hoodie with his signature mug, Manziel reportedly was friendly and game for his admirers’ most wacky requests, even those dressed as cartoon canines.
“He told me what an awesome Halloween that was for him,” fellow Aggie David Molina told ESPN of his Scooby Doo ensemble, an outfit Manziel donned during his college days in College Stadium.
“He’s a legend,” Vince Sum of Salt Lake City added.
After getting cut by the Browns after two scandalous seasons in Cleveland, the Heisman Trophy winner’s downward spiral continued to skim rock bottom. After his 2016 was filled with reports of substance abuse and a slew of legal dilemmas — most gravely, a domestic violence charge — Manziel has said he is sober and committed to a comeback.
“I just want to get back on the field,” Manziel told CBS Sports. “If I played in a preseason game, I’d treat it like a Super Bowl.”
Manziel, who hasn’t played a snap in the NFL since December 2015, has said he’s been in the gym and implied on social media he wants to reunite with George Whitfield Jr., his one-time quarterback guru.