Texas A&M Football: Johnny Manziel domestic violence photos shouldn’t affect NFL comeback

The Dallas PD released photos from former Texas A&M football quarterback Johnny Manziel’s domestic violence case, but they shouldn’t affect his comeback.

I feel like I need to preface this article with a statement: I am not saying I don’t believe Johnny Manziel’s accuser, nor am I trying to minimize the case in any way. Domestic violence is a serious issue and it should always be handled as such.

Now that we got that straight, let’s go over some context. Johnny Manziel was accused of domestic violence two years ago by then girlfriend Colleen Crowley. He eventually was charged and struct a plea deal that included anger management, a domestic violence impact panel and was prohibited from having contact with Crowley.

He has followed through with those commitments, and since the case was closed, the Dallas Police Department made the details of the case public, including victim and witness statements, plus photos of Crowley.

You can view those photos here.

The timing of the release of these photos is not great for Johnny Football. He is trying to make a comeback, and in the process, repair his image. Manziel’s issues with drugs and alcohol led to a flame out of the NFL. His once-promising career was thrown away.

He is determined to get invited to an NFL roster in 2018 and has had a comeback tour of sorts. He threw at University of San Diego’s Pro Day, then was invited to do the same at Texas A&M’s Pro Day, then participated in the first ever Spring League, a showcase for players hoping to make it in the NFL.

He also got married secretly in March and claims to be sober.

Scouts said Manziel looked better than ever at Texas A&M’s Pro Day. It really seemed like he had gained enough momentum to eventually get an invite to a team’s training camp. That hasn’t happened yet, and the recently released photos should have no impact on this.

NFL teams doing their homework on Johnny were likely already made aware of these photos and the details in the case. They may not have been legally allowed to see them, but ever since the Ray Rice incident, teams have taken domestic violence charges more seriously. It very well could already be the reason Manziel has not been invited to a team’s camp.

The league was reactive rather than proactive when it comes to domestic violence, but at least they are now committed to making a difference. There is no place in the world for such violence. The NFL should have taken a stand years ago. Maybe the incident will forever keep Manziel out of the league, and maybe it should, but the photos being released now shouldn’t make any difference to NFL teams.

Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.