Chad Johnson had a brilliant NFL career marred by a charge of domestic battery against his then-wife after he allegedly head-butted her in 2012. A release from the Dolphins came immediately after he was released on bond in a case to which he pleaded no contest. He eventually did community service hours and went to counseling sessions long after the marriage was dissolved.
All of which makes the six-time Pro Bowler a pal of interest to Johnny Manziel.
Johnson, formerly Ochocinco, reached out to the troubled free-agent train wreck over Twitter on Sunday, asking for Manziel to call him. The next day Manziel, on a Twitter binge in which he also apologized to Texas A&M, for whom he won a Heisman Trophy, seemed amenable to talking to Johnson. About … something. The two talked about exchanging numbers through direct messaging, and that’s where the public courting ends.
Johnson, who starred with Cincinnati, New England and Miami in his 11-year NFL career that ended in 2011, previously had been less direct about helping him. He lamented in May to his Twitter followers that he wished he could help the player who used to electrify college crowds in College Station with a must-watch, improvisational style. Until Manziel became a must-bench in Cleveland, where he bombed out after a two-year stint rife with off-the-field chaos, including an ongoing case in which he’s charged with abusing an ex-girlfriend. The Browns cut him this offseason and the NFL suspended him four games for violating its drug policy. His biggest opponent now may be alcohol: He has pledged to be dry since July 1 — but not for life.
Can Johnson set Manziel on the right path? At least in Johnson, Manziel can see someone who’s been there before.