Kent Baab of The Washington Post wrote an in-depth feature on the past, present and future of Johnny Manziel, and the story indicates that Manziel has made good on his previous vow to quit drinking as of July 1.
Manziel did not respond interview requests for the story. His spokeswoman, Denise Michaels, told Baab that Manziel is “content and settled,” and she emailed a statement from Manziel.
“I’m actually doing well,” he said in the statement. “I have good friends around me supporting what I do and I try to support them in what they want to do. I’m not saying I’m never drinking again, but for now just mostly being healthy. I’ve got a killer gym in my house and I can spend time working out. I’m interested in doing a lot of different things in my life — including football — but, right now, I’m just exploring options and waiting to see what the future holds.”
Manziel has only given interviews to TMZ since March, when he was released by the Browns. He’s had various legal issues, a public squabble with his father after his father called his son “a druggie,” and had a lawyer resign after he accidentally texted the Associated Press.
Saturday, Manziel was posting Instagram videos from Hawaii, where he appeared to be out for a run. He’s been relatively quiet on social media, though earlier this week he had a post mocking a clearance rack of his Browns jerseys.
The Washington Post story quotes a friend of Manziel it also identifies as his tattoo artist as saying he hasn’t seen Manziel drink alcohol in weeks but has seen him working out.
“He’s a young dude trying to have a good time,” the friend, Rafael Valdez, said. “He’s not the only one out there. We’re all doing this.”