Approximately 12 hours after the Super Bowl came to a stunning end, a perhaps not-so-stunning bit of news saw headlines announcing, “Johnny Manziel enters rehab voluntarily.”

Coming in the wake of a tumultuous first season with the Cleveland Browns, Manziel’s quiet decision was is contrast to the flashy way he’s led his life.

High School Troubles

During Manziel’s high school days, his drinking resulting in his wealthy father agreeing to buy him a new car if he didn’t drink. However, Manziel’s car was traded in after a Wal-Mart security guard smelled alcohol on his breath, resulting in a night in jail.

College Drama

At Texas A&M, Manziel won the Heisman Trophy, but also spent another night in jail following a 2012 bar fight. After pleading guilty to a misdemeanor, he was ordered to undergo counseling random drug testing by Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin, meeting with the counselor only six or seven times.

One year after the bar fight, Manziel was sent home from a quarterback camp run by Archie Manning, after his tardiness following another late night.

Pro Problems

Those red flags caused some NFL teams to shy away, but the Browns selected him 22nd overall. The night he was drafted, he was photographed at a New York club drinking champagne, and at the subsequent NFL rookie symposium, slept under a table after yet another long night.

Trips to Las Vegas, as well as embarrassing photos and videos led up to Manziel’s first NFL training camp. During this period, he assured everyone that he was learning the Browns’ playbook, though the team became alarmed from a photo that showed Manziel rolling a $20 bill to simulate snorting drugs.

Manziel saw little action on the field until late in the season, when he started against the Cincinnati Bengals and performed poorly in a 30-0 loss. The following week against the Carolina Panthers, Manziel injured his ankle and didn’t play again.

The day before the team’s final game of the season, team security guards picked up Manziel after he was late for his ankle treatment. While cleaning out his locker following the final game, Manziel said he would dedicate himself to improving his play.

Within days, Manziel and Browns’ receiver Josh Gordon, who has his own share of troubles, traveled to Las Vegas. Gordon was tested after arriving and found to have drunk alcohol, which got him suspended again and put his career with the team in severe doubt.

Perhaps the final straw was a scathing article in ESPN The Magazine in which unnamed teammates attacked his leadership and overall behavior.

A Legacy in the Balance

The standard length for treatment in such cases is 28-30 days. The headlines and individual pundits will discuss how Johnny Manziel enters rehab voluntarily, but whether or not the Johnny Football persona remains could be the ultimate determination of his success.

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