The Browns' former general manager says the team should have been prepared for Johnny Manziel's larger-than-life persona when they drafted him in 2014.
Ray Farmer, who took over as GM in 2014 and was fired in January, said the team should have been ready when it drafted the troubled quarterback in the first round in 2014 because he was already a celebrity.
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“The club has to be prepared to handle the player regardless of their celebrity, regardless of their position, regardless of what they’re required to do,” Farmer told ESPN.com. “The responsibility is borne by both the club and the player. When the club doesn’t follow up on its end, it makes it that much easier for players to get off track.”
Farmer said Manziel attained this celebrity status during his time at Texas A&M, where he found success on the field.
“It’s celebrity," Farmer said. "This player had unique celebrity that I don’t think the league has seen. That brings a whole new element of how you try to handle the person.”
Since then, Manziel has had multiple brushes with the law and was eventually cut from the Browns in March.