Football quarterback Johnny Manziel has been cut by the Montreal Alouettes and banned from the entire Canadian Football League (CFL) for violating the terms of an agreement that made him eligible to play in the CFL, according to a new report.
The Montreal Alouettes released a statement on Wednesday, Feb. 27, announcing that they had cut Manziel from the team following a directive by the CFL to terminate his contract.
The Montreal Alouettes announced on Wednesday that the organization has been directed by the @CFL to terminate the player contract of international quarterback Johnny Manziel. More info : https://t.co/jKFbOrgsxA
— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) February 27, 2019
The league alleges that Manziel “contravened the agreement, which made him eligible to play in the league.”
“We are disappointed by this turn of events. Johnny was provided a great deal of support by our organization, in collaboration with the CFL, but he has been unable to abide by the terms of his agreement,” the statement read.
The Alouettes of the CFL have released QB Johnny Manziel in odd fashion. pic.twitter.com/BiuPO7faES
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2019
“We worked with the league and presented alternatives to Johnny, who was unwilling to proceed,” General Manager Kavis Reed said in the statement.
While the statement doesn’t go into the specifics, it’s clear that Manziel’s contract has been terminated. The league informed the eight other teams that it wouldn’t register a contract for Manziel if any of them tried to sign him.
“We advised Montreal that Johnny had violated one of the conditions we had set for him to be in our league. And Montreal announced his release today,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in Vancouver, according to ESPN. “We didn’t release the terms of those conditions then and we’re not going to do that now.”
????BREAKING NEWS????
The @MTLAlouettes have released QB Johnny Manziel.
FOR MORE | https://t.co/IbobgzO908 pic.twitter.com/mzVY5dn4BK
— CFL (@CFL) February 27, 2019
“We’re trying to do what we believe is in the best interest of the entire league,” he continued. “The conditions we set, we thought were the right ones. Those conditions have been violated and we feel it’s best, and Montreal feels it’s best, to let Johnny move on. And we think it’s best for our league that he do the same. And we wish him well.”
Despite not being able to play for any teams in Canada, Manziel doesn’t seem perturbed by the events, posting on social media that he looks forward “to exploring new options.”
I want to thank Coach Sherman, my teammates, and the CFL fans. My time there reestablished my love for the game of football and the work that goes into it. I look forward to exploring new options within the United States.
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) February 27, 2019
“I want to thank (Montreal Alouettes) Coach Sherman, my teammates, and the CFL fans,” he wrote. “My time there reestablished my love for the game of football and the work that goes into it. I look forward to exploring new options within the United States.”
Two possible options for Manziel include playing for the Alliance of American Football, or the Xtreme Football League, according to BakersfieldNow.
The outlet reported that Manziel has previously expressed interest in both.
“It’s great for football, it’s great for the guys who need more opportunity, need more film and time to play,” Manziel said on Barstool Sports Comeback SZN podcast. “I don’t know exactly what my exact steps will be for the next years coming up, but at least there’s a lot of options.”
He also said he was “fully committed to playing ball and trying to get into the best situation possible and that’s what it’s all about.”
