The Cleveland announced Tuesday that starting quarterback Johnny Manziel has been benched after a video surfaced Monday of Manziel with a bottle of champagne at a club in Austin.
Though the author said that it was old and deleted it from his Instagram account, Browns head coach Mike Pettine said he was "disappointed" in the video Tuesday.
"...He still has to consistently demonstrate that he has gained a good understanding of what it takes to be successful at the quarterback position on this level ... we’ve decided it’s best to go with Josh as the starter going forward," Head Coach Mike Pettine wrote in a statement Tuesday.
Manziel will be the third-string quaterback behind Josh McCown and Austin Davis.
This comes just one week after the team announced that Manziel will start for the Browns over McCown for the remainder of the season.
Sources tell our Cleveland Scripps affiliate newsnet5.com that the organization was preparing to start McCown shortly after the video's release, and that support Manziel once enjoyed from members of the front office has all but eroded.
The NFL does not restrict players' drinking during bye weeks, but reports of Manziel consuming alcohol in the past have stirred controversy since he attended rehab earlier this year and has had run-ins with police before.
Most recently, Manziel and his girlfriend told police they had been drinking before a fight in Manziel's car that concerned another driver enough to report it to police. Manziel was not charged nor disciplined by the NFL for that incident.
FULL STATEMENT:
Josh McCown will be the starting quarterback on Monday night against the Ravens. I informed the quarterbacks of that decision after I sat down and spoke with Johnny, Flip (John DeFilippo) and Kevin (O’Connell) after practice today. Johnny will be the third quarterback. I’ve spoken to Ray (Farmer) and Jimmy (Haslam) to inform them of my decision, and they are in full support.
Everyone in this organization wants what is best for Johnny just like we do for every player in our locker room. I’m especially disappointed in his actions and behavior because he has been working very hard. The improvements from last year to this year have been tremendous but he still has to consistently demonstrate that he has gained a good understanding of what it takes to be successful at the quarterback position on this level. It goes well beyond the field. We are going to continue to support him in every way possible, but at this point, we’ve decided it’s best to go with Josh as the starter going forward.
