Johnny Manziel released by CFL's Montreal Alouettes, CFL doesn't want him on any team

The CFL franchise announced Wednesday that it has released Manziel “based on the direction” of the league. In a press release, the CFL says “it was found that Manziel had contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play in the league.”

On top of that, the CFL says it has “informed all of its clubs that it will not register a contract” for Manziel if any other team attempts to sign him.

Manziel, who won the Heisman Trophy as a star quarterback at Texas A&M, was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2014. But his time in Cleveland fizzled out quickly amid a myriad of off-field issues, including violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and a domestic violence incident involving his ex-girlfriend. Manziel was released by Cleveland after the 2015 season and did not return to the field until he agreed to play for the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats in late 2017.

Manziel was the No. 2 quarterback in Hamilton before the team traded him to Montreal in July. In eight games for the Alouettes, he threw for 1,290 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 64.2 percent of his passes.

“We are disappointed by this turn of events. Johnny was provided a great deal of support by our organization, in collaboration with the CFL, but he has been unable to abide by the terms of his agreement,” said General Manager Kavis Reed in a statement. “We worked with the league and presented alternatives to Johnny, who was unwilling to proceed.”

Later Wednesday, Manziel issued a statement on Twitter.

Read More (...)