Manziel forces hand of Tiger-Cats
Quarterback demands to be offered contract
Quarterback Johnny Manziel has activated the 10-day window that will force the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to offer him a contract according to CFL sources.
Under CFL rules, any player on a team’s exclusive 45-man negotiation list can demand to be offered a contract within 10 days.
If a contract offer is not received within that period, the player is removed from the negotiation list. If a contract offer is received but rejected, the player is removed from the list one year from the offer date.
So, theoretically, the Ticats could offer Manziel a two-year contract — all entry contracts are one-year plus a team held option — at the league minimum of $53,000 per season and retain his rights until mid-2018.
It’s not clear when Manziel’s representatives activated the 10-day clause.
The Ticats worked out Manziel in August, though vice-president of football operations Kent Austin said on Aug. 30 that the team wasn’t on the verge of signing the former Texas A&M star.
“We’re still interested in Johnny Manziel, he’s on our neg list,” Austin said. “We’re not interested in signing Johnny right now. That’s not imminent.”
The Canadian Football League has also said that Manziel would have to go through an assessment with an expert in domestic violence prevention and meet with CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie before the league would approve a contract.
Manziel was charged in January 2016 after being accused of hitting and threatening his former girlfriend, Colleen Crowley.
He reached a dismissal agreement that required him to complete an anger management class, attend a domestic violence impact panel and participate in a substance-abuse program.
Manziel has been on the Ticats negotiation list since his days at Texas A&M, where he became the first freshman to capture the Heisman Trophy.
The Cleveland Browns selected him in the first round, No. 22 overall, in the 2014 NFL draft and he spent two seasons with the club, posting a 2-6 record as a starter before being released March 11, 2016.
The Ticats have three quarterbacks on the roster with starter Jeremiah Masoli having won his past two games. He replaced Zach Collaros, who started the first eight games of the season — all losses — and has been the subject of trade rumours. Third stringer Everett Golson has seen limited action in his time with the club.
Adding Manziel would undoubtedly bring a significant amount of interest from media outlets across North America.
The 24-year-old made headlines for his party lifestyle and was dogged by reports of alcohol and drug use.
He spent 73 days at a treatment centre for an unspecified addiction. News of Manziel’s workout with the Ticats was picked up by celebrity website TMZ as well as ESPN and others. NOTES: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have released Bryan Tyms. The 29year-old Tyms has started seven games this season but has been off the roster two of the past three weeks. He has 25 catches for 204 yards. Tyms, 28, played in just two games with the Ticats last season but showed plenty of promise after signing in late October. He had four catches for 33 yards and a touchdown in the regular-season finale against Montreal, then led all Ticat receivers with eight receptions for 114 yards in the East semifinal loss to Edmonton. He signed a two-year contract extension in February but has had trouble getting on the field recently as the team has used two Canadian receivers in order to cope with ratio issues. … The Tiger-Cats also acquired receiver Ricky Collins in a recent trade with Saskatchewan. “He’s a great kid and I think he can play football but like everything, you’re in a numbers game,” said head coach June Jones. “The ability to play all the positions is a priority.”