Johnny Manziel's 40-Pound Weight Loss Was a Result of a 'Strict' Drug Diet

Former Cleveland Browns star Johnny Manziel stopped by Club Shay Shay on Feb. 21 to reflect on his short-lived NFL career and much more with fellow pro player Shannon Sharpe. Manziel struggled off the field during his time with the Browns, even after spending time in rehab at the behest of the people around him, and when speaking with Sharpe about that time, he was honest about how his personal problems began to affect him physically. 

In January 2016, Manziel was infamously spotted at a casino in Las Vegas while the Browns played their last game of the season. He was released from the team that March. "I was 210 pounds when I left Cleveland," he said. Later that year, he spent more time in Sin City, saying "I was 170 pounds sitting in Vegas." Sharpe was surprised at the dramatic weight loss, and Manziel admitted, "How do you lose 40 pounds? You’re on a strict diet of blow."

It's not the first time Manziel has opened up about his history with drug use and the end of his two-year NFL career. He reflected on that time, and how his release from the Browns led him to spiral, in his 2023 Netflix documentary Johnny Football.

"The people closest to me were in the mindset of 'We have to let him go,'" Manziel said in the documentary. "And when that happened, it was full-blown 'I'm gonna rub this whole thing in your f--king face.'" 

He believed he was acting out of spite. "'You think you've seen something now?'" he added. "'You haven't seen s--t yet.'"