Johnny Manziel was minding his own business somewhere, his NFL career firmly in the rearview, when he caught a stray during Joel Bitonio’s retirement speech.
The Cleveland Browns held a press conference for Bitonio, an offensive guard, to make his NFL retirement official on Tuesday, and he opened by reading a prepared statement. It was mostly very lovely, as he named particularly impactful former teammates and his family members individually, but he dropped in a few sentences for comedic effect.
“I was drafted the same year as Johnny Manziel, and we actually roomed together,” Bitonio said. “I learned some things not to do from him.”
Bitonio paused for a smattering of laughter before continuing.
The Browns selected Manziel in the first round (No. 22 overall) and Bitonio in the second round (No. 35 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. Manziel, formerly a Heisman-winning quarterback and nationwide phenomenon at Texas A&M, only lasted two seasons before the Browns waived him in March 2016. He never played in the NFL again, though he bounced around the Canadian Football League for a few years.
Manziel detailed his own demise with excruciating honesty in Netflix’s “Untold” series episode entitled “Johnny Football” that premiered in August 2023.
Bitonio fared better on the football field. He spent his entire 12-season career in Cleveland and became a two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler across 178 games.
“For me, I could never just picture myself in a different uniform,” Bitonio said Tuesday when asked why he stayed with the Browns through all the losing and tumult.
Watch Bitonio’s full retirement presser below.
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