Bob Lutz: Johnny Manziel requires our concern, not our humor

I was stopped in my tracks Friday, left speechless.

Just when I was ready to take another verbal jab at Johnny Manziel, which has become a national sport, I saw a story from the Dallas Morning News in which Manziel’s father, Paul, said that unless his son receives help, he won’t make it to his 24th birthday in December.

I’m a father and a parent. Lots of people are fathers and parents. And I can’t imagine going through something like what Paul Manziel, his wife and the whole Manziel family are going through. So let’s take stock of life, shall we? Let’s understand that we can come up with some really silly one-liners about Manziel’s trials and tribulations, but that this isn’t funny.

Manziel has been a disaster since his days as a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at Texas A&M. His first skirmish with the law came in June 2012, when he was arrested and taken to jail for fighting and carrying a fake ID.

There have been a steady stream of Manziel transgressions since, the most recent last month when he was involved in a domestic violence altercation with his ex-girlfriend, although no charges were filed. The investigation was reopened Friday by Dallas police and a restraining order has been issued against Manziel.

Multiple media reports then said the Cleveland Browns, who selected Manziel with the 22nd pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, would cut the mercurial — in more ways than one — quarterback next month.

“Johnny’s continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization,” the Browns said in a statement.

Yet Manziel seems oblivious.

In an interview posted on TMZ Sports’ website Thursday, Manziel addressed the allegations that he struck his ex-girlfriend.

“It didn’t happen,” he said. “I’m completely stable. I’m safe and secure.”

Nobody else thinks so.

A Dallas television station, citing unnamed sources, reported that Manziel told the ex-girlfriend to “shut up or I’ll kill us both” after he forced her into a car.

Manziel’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, is now Manziel’s former agent.

In a statement, Burkhardt said: “It was become painfully obvious that (Manziel’s future) rests solely in his own hands. His family and I have gone to great lengths to outline the steps we feel he must take to get his life in order. Accountability is the foundation of any relationship and without it, the function of my work is counterproductive.”

Paul Manziel said his son has refused to enter Dallas-area rehab facilities twice in the past week.

It wasn’t long ago — Week 16 of the season, in fact — that Manziel showed some of the electricity that made him a Heisman winner at Texas A&M in a game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

Manziel’s completed only 13 of 32 attempts for 136 yards, but he rushed for 108 yards on only 11 attempts, including a 34-yard gain that reminded everyone of Manziel’s talent.

I remarked after that game on social media that the Browns would be foolish to give up on Manziel and that there was still hope he could become the kind of franchise quarterback that franchise has needed for years.

Manziel’s many demons scoffed at such a notion.

The conversation recently was that maybe the Dallas Cowboys and their flaky owner, Jerry Jones, would take Manziel in and give him a shot as the heir apparent to Tony Romo. For a short time, such a scenario sounded plausible. Maybe the prestige of being a Cowboy would straighten out Johnny.

How ridiculous. We know better. We’ve seen it too often.

I recently watched “Amy,” a documentary about British singer Amy Winehouse. She, too, was extremely gifted in her field but could not overcome the substance abuse and mental health issues that led to her death in July 2011, at only 27.

The list of those who become embroiled by their issues and either do not try or cannot escape them is long and tragic. Imagine how scared and how helpless Paul Manziel must feel. He knows what is best for his son but there is no recourse for him unless Johnny cooperates.

Manziel did check into a treatment facility a year ago and stayed for 10 weeks. Upon leaving, he apologized for the distractions he had caused the Browns during his rookie season and vowed to cut out some of the nonsense, including his “money-fingers” celebration.

It’s impossible to know what Manziel is thinking or how scared he must be. He’s 23, probably incapable of understanding how serious his issues are and unwilling to listen to those who can help him.

We all hope for a happy ending in these kind of stories. Perhaps Manziel will get the help he desperately needs and go on to lead a productive life, whether football is a part of it or not.

That’s not what his dad sees now, though. He’s bracing himself for the worst. It’s a terrible story that I hope doesn’t become tragic.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: Johnny Manziel requires our concern, not our humor."