Manziel says mistakes in past and looks forward to fresh start in Montreal
He has made repeated mistakes in his life, and it would be easy for Johnny Manziel to refuse to discuss his past. Instead, the Alouettes’ new quarterback admits he might never run away from, or escape, his past transgressions.
“That will follow me for the rest of my career, whether I’m sitting here at 35 or 25. My past mistakes will follow me,” Manziel said Monday, after being introduced to the Montreal media.
A guy can get into trouble anywhere, if he’s determined to do so. And the nightlife in Montreal, Manziel will soon discover — should he be so inclined — is more rampant than in Hamilton.
Manziel, who revealed this year that he’s bipolar and is undergoing treatment, has been embroiled in numerous off-field incidents involving alcohol, for which he has sought treatment. In 2016, he was charged after allegedly hitting and threatening a former girlfriend. He reached an agreement with prosecutors to dismiss the case.
“I still ... have nightmares and a multitude of bad thoughts about my past,” admitted the 25-yearold, who was acquired Sunday night in a multi-player trade with the Tiger-Cats. “I’m not proud of it, and I’ll never be able to change it. At the end of the day, I don’t believe that’s who I am.
“Hopefully one day I’ll be able to live down some of those things — but maybe not.”
Manziel was married last winter to model Bre Tiesi, who has accompanied him to Montreal. He has said she’s been a stabilizing force in his life.
Als general manager Kavis Reed, who initiated the trade discussions with Hamilton, said every human deserves a second chance and believes Manziel has matured and learned from his transgressions.
“He has taken the steps to make up for a lot of the things he’s done,” Reed said. “Everyone we’ve spoken to says the same thing. We’ve done our homework. We trust and believe in the young man. He’s no different than anyone in this room. We’ve all made mistakes. Let’s move forward.”
Reed said he felt the urgency to make the trade after watching the Als lose, 25-8, on Saturday night in Calgary. Montreal’s offence has struggled for several seasons, and its depth at the position has been depleted following injuries to Drew Willy and Jeff Mathews.
Indeed, had Mathews not suffered a long-term foot injury this month, against Ottawa, Reed said there would have been no need to make a move.
He flew from Calgary to Toronto on Sunday morning to meet with Ticats GM Eric Tillman at an airport hotel.
Following an afternoon practice on Monday at Olympic Stadium, Als players embraced Manziel’s arrival, saying it show Reed is attempting to improve the team.
That included starting QB Matt Shiltz, who might eventually be replaced by Manziel.
“It’s an exciting time. Johnny ’s a great player,” Shiltz said.