NFL prodigy predicted to be bigger than LeBron James 'planned to take his life'
Johnny Manziel has heartbreakingly revealed he attempted suicide after dealing with personal struggles.
Once infamously tipped to be 'bigger than LeBron James' by FOX Sports analyst Skip Bayless, Manziel was a first-round draft pick in the NFL - going to the Cleveland Browns after being a highly-successful college quarterback - becoming the first freshman to ever win the prestigious Heisman Trophy.
Seen as a cocky but talented and undersized quarterback at Texas A&M, Manziel was a much-loved figure for a number of years - but would greatly struggle when he reached the NFL and would only make 15 appearances.
Now, in a revealing documentary, Manziel has admitted that he was intentionally attempting to 'self-sabotage' himself with his partying - which he has stated that he was going to use as an 'excuse' to take his own life.
Speaking on the new Netflix documentary, Manziel said: "I got diagnosed as bipolar and I felt like it was the same as being called an alcoholic or a drug addict."
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Manziel's fame was at his highest when he was in college, but it wasn't until he signed his NFL contract that he became a millionaire - signing a four-year, $8.2 million (£6.4m) deal. Even when in the NFL though, he continued to act as he did in college - even missing practices and holding parties with teammates during the season.
In one particular incident, Manziel wore blond wig and fake moustache at an event in Las Vegas in a bid to remain undetected over the weekend. He would show up intoxicated to Cleveland Browns practice days later.
Manziel has opened up on his personal battles (Getty Images)Manziel said: "I think I was just running from problems. It was probably a $5million (£3.9m) bender. Direct self-sabotage, trying to burn this thing down."
He then told the heart-wrenching of how he had planned to take his own life. "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," he added.
"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."
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 03: Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is interviewed prior to the start of the SEC Championship football game between the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs on December 3rd, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)He added that his poor relationship with his family, while burning his bridges with the NFL and his former college team were all defining factors in the decline of his mental health.
He said: "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 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."
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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