Johnny Manziel said that he has retired his 'Johnny Footbal' persona (Photo : REUTERS)
Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine gave Johnny Manziel and the rest of the Browns players the green light to spend the next six weeks wherever they desire.
Pettine said that the break before training camp begins is well deserved and that they could spend it wherever they choose to.
Last season, Manziel used the break to party hard from coast to coast.
Browns fans aren't anticipating any such shenanigans with Manziel fresh out of a 10-week rehab.
Manziel also said Wednesday he is retiring his Johnny Football persona and his trademark money sign to avoid distraction within the team.
Incidentally, he made the announcement two days after he was called by WWE heavyweight champ Seth Rollins as "Johnny Idiot Face" while sitting at ringside for WWE's "Raw" show in Cleveland.
Manziel admitted that his rookie season last year was "a disaster" and that he was a distraction off the field.
Manziel went into a 10-week rehab stay in early April.
He added thathe could not handle the "Johnny Football" persona and at times welcomed it with immaturity that it eventually overtook him as a person.
Manziel also admitted that he could not handle the hype and spotlight that focused on him.
He now wants to be conscious of the effect his presence has on his teammates.
Manziel also emphasized his desire to focus on football and limit the attention on his personal life.
Manziel started two games last season and completed 51.4 percent of his passes with no touchdowns and was intercepted twice.
He watched last season's in the locker room as a disciplinary action for missing the team's walk through the day before because he was out the previous night.
Manziel has been working with the second team this offseason. He's not expected to squeeze Josh McCown out of the starting job, but the team wants to see improvements.
John DeFilippo, Browns Offensive coordinator, observed that Manziel has made good progress.
