In the upcoming Netflix documentary, “Untold: Johnny Football,” former NFL player Johnny Manziel opens up about the dark period in his life after the 2015 season.
Manziel confesses to struggling with substance abuse, using OxyContin and cocaine regularly during that time.
On top of that, he faced legal troubles, including a misdemeanor assault charge involving his former girlfriend. These series of events led to Manziel contemplating suicide. Manziel, now 30 years old, admits in the documentary that he had planned to take his own life after the 2015 season.
“I think I was just running from problems. It was probably a $5 million bender. Direct self-sabotage, trying to burn this thing down. I had planned to do everything that I wanted to do at that point in my life. Spend as much money as I possibly could and then my plan was to take my life,” Manziel said
He reveals being diagnosed with bipolar disorder but chose not to seek rehabilitation and instead engaged in self-destructive behavior. Manziel expressed feeling like he was “running from problems” and intended to spend all his money impulsively before ending his life. During his turbulent period, Manziel even purchased a gun with the intention to use it.
However, he recalls the gun malfunctioning, preventing him from carrying out his plan.
“Months prior, I went and bought a gun I knew I was going to use. I wanted to get as bad as humanly possible to where it made sense and it made it seem like an excuse and an out for me.”
Manziel said that his gun wasn’t working properly:
“Still to this day, I don’t know what happened, but the gun just clicked on me. I couldn’t fix what I had done; with Colleen, with the NFL, with [Texas] A&M, everything. You know, at that point in time, I didn’t have much of a relationship with my family. The ride was over,” Manziel said.
This incident forced Manziel to confront the consequences of his actions and the damage he had caused in his personal and professional life. Following these troubling events, Manziel managed to have the assault charges against him dismissed. He then took steps to improve his mental health and seek recovery.
Manziel went on to play in the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2018 and the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019. Currently, he is involved in the Fan Controlled Football league.
Through this documentary, Manziel sheds light on the darkest moments of his life, emphasizing the importance of mental health awareness and seeking help during difficult times.
Untold: Johnny Football premieres on Tuesday, August 8 exclusively on Netflix.
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