Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel is in trouble again.
During the second quarter of the Browns' preseason game against the Washington Redskins at Fedex Field, Manziel was caught on camera apparently making an obscene gesture towards the Washington bench. On the image, it appeared that Manziel had "given the finger" to the Redskins bench.
Cleveland fans still enjoy doing the money symbol with their hands that he christened while playing for Texas A&M after being accused of making money for signing autographs while in college, a violation of NCAA rules. Manziel did the same gesture once again at the NFL Draft in April as he walked on stage after being drafted in the first round by the Browns. Will this latest incident be the wake-up call for Manziel to start treating the NFL as the job it is?
His father described the quarterback's college experience to ESPN The Magazine last year: "He ate Skittles, drank beer, and won the Heisman." Whilst some fans will likely see this as just another immature act from the young quarterback, he seems to still be treating the NFL like another college game, which it clearly is not.
In the NFL's recent history, there are two similar incidents that come to mind that should give us some idea of how severely Manziel will be punished for his on-field actions. In 2011, after sacking St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk gave his own bench the finger, and was subsequently fined $10,000.
Another incident involved Michael Vick, who, while still playing for the Atlanta Falcons, got himself in trouble with the league after he made this same obscene gesture to his own fans after a frustrating loss to the New Orleans Saints. Vick was fined $20,000 in that case, but was allowed to donate half of his fine to a charity of his choosing.
It is yet unknown what punishment, if any, the NFL intends to pursue, and this could well prove to be a case where the reputation that precedes Manziel from his college days will come back to haunt him.
It is yet to be seen what damage will be caused by this latest misadventure, and we do not mean to say Manziel will never mature. However, will this prove to be the wake-up call for Manziel to mature into the NFL superstar he clearly has the talent to become? Or just another juvenile act that he proves he is a long way from stardom? Part of the Manziel Magic is that we will just have to wait and see