Johnny Manziel certainly took diet culture to an extreme.
The polarizing former Texas A&M superstar and troublesome ex-NFL quarterback revealed that he lost 40 pounds — from 210 pounds down to 170— after his NFL career ended because of his cocaine use.
Manziel, who last played in the NFL in 2015, said this week on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast hosted by Shannon Sharpe that he had “a strict diet of blow” and was nearly at rock bottom after his Browns tenure ended in failure, so he went to the Las Vegas party scene to cope.
Manziel also said he used OxyContin and Percocet during that period of time.
“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,” Manziel 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.
“I remember these pictures came out, I was like, ‘Damn. What am I doing? Ah, whatever, we’ll figure that out later. Let’s go again.'”
Manziel quickly emerged as a national phenom at Texas A&M, becoming the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy in 2012.
He declared for the NFL draft after his sophomore season and was selected with the No. 22 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Browns despite red flags about Manziel’s off-the-field behavior in college.
His NFL career lasted just two turbulent seasons with the Browns before he was out of the league.
Manziel also revealed on the podcast that LeBron James, who was back playing with the Cavaliers at the time, tried to take him under his wing during his struggles with the Browns.
But Manziel said he pushed him away, which he now regrets.
He still feels like he let James down.
“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,” Manziel said. “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.”