Photo courtesy of Erik Drost of Flickr.com

At some point in time, people must have liked Johnny Manziel — at least for a little bit. Here was an undersized Texan quarterback, running around like a chicken with its head cut off, making amazing throws to beat the likes of Alabama, then celebrate like nobody’s watching — except everybody was. He was every college kid’s dream: plays major college football, wins left and right, parties with celebrities and the most beautiful women.

However, like most outrageous drunk stories , that was during his college years. The excuse of “He’s in college trying to have fun, give him a break!” doesn’t apply anymore. The leeway he got because he partied on the weekends with the rest of his school doesn’t apply anymore. The “he’s young and maturing” excuse doesn’t apply anymore. We’ve heard his name in the news and tabloids almost as much as the Kardashians this fall, and that’s a scary thought.

Think of the time you somewhat liked him, and I’ll bet my bottom dollar that’s not the case anymore.

Johnny Manziel is now an NFL quarterback, and soon to be out of the league. His most recent run-in with the law has sparked a media frenzy that he should not be caught up in. He is also bringing everybody close to him down with him. He is taking all the wrong steps in his career and personal life. The Cleveland Browns are done with his antics and most of the country is fed up with hearing about his troubles.

Here’s a list of Manziel’s questionable history:

• He threw a party in 2014 that his Cleveland Browns teammates attended, which resulted in star wide receiver Josh Gordon missing practice.
• Checked into rehab for alcohol abuse in the summer of 2015 — clearly didn’t work.
• Told the team he was going to take the Browns’ 2015 bye-week seriously —got caught partying in Vegas. Then he lied to team and was punished by being demoted to third string quarterback.
• Caught drinking when he was concussed late in the 2015 NFL season.
• First domestic dispute: Police were called to investigate a fight with his ex-girlfriend in fall 2015.
• Missed mandatory check-in with team doctors for his concusion.
• Second domestic dispute, Jan.29: He is currently under criminal investigation for a fight with his ex-girlfriend where he reportedly said “I’ll kill you and myself” and ruptured her eardrum.
• New reports are surfacing that his concussion with the Browns was an actual cover-up for Manziel being hungover/drunk at team meetings

As you can see, the list is quite long for a kid who is only 23. And his performance in the NFL has been mediocre at best — not that his actions could be justified by playing well . Now you’re starting to see where this is going.

The Browns recently issued a statement essentially guaranteeing that Manziel will be released in March when the new NFL season begins. As of Feb. 5, Manziel’s agent said that he would not represent “Johnny Football” anymore. LeBron James’ marketing agency has also dropped him.

It’s hard to believe that a player can do this much damage in a few short years. I mean c’mon, how do you screw up the Cleveland Brown quarterback job?! They’ve had 26 different quarterbacks since the 2000. He got drafted to a team where the only expectation was to not stink and not get into trouble.

No offense to the city of Cleveland, but it’s not an outstanding city for thriving nightlife. Imagine if Manziel was in his hometown Dallas or New York, or the new NFL franchise in Los Angeles? That would be a recipe for ultimate disaster —and for a reality TV show. Some are speculating he’ll sign with Dallas in the off-season if he is cut. But what some people don’t realize is that most of his run-ins with the law are concentrated in Las Vegas and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. If he does go to Dallas: total disaster.

Johnny Manziel, aka “Johnny Football” needs to realize he’s not in college anymore. The days where it was tolerable to get drunk for $10 at all-you-can Wednesdays or “dollar beers” on a Tuesday night are frowned upon once you graduate.

Putting the NFL aside — it might not even be his choice — he needs to show he can get his life in order before thinking about football, partying, or anything else for that matter.

And one final thought, the NFL has taken a lot of heat for their easy treatment of domestic abusers. What better way for the NFL to show its new “image” than to make an example out of Manziel with a stiff punishment for his domestic abuse allegations?