Johnny Manziel’s first words after 10 weeks in rehab are ‘I’m sorry’

Can't be easy with a surname like football

Pre-season begins again on Monday for the Cleveland Browns ahead of a new NFL season, and that means that the focus will once again be on their eccentric quarter-back Johnny Manziel. He had the type of debut season that would probably make any pro-footballer want to never go near the sport again, as his form disappeared and his personal problems mounted. The QB lost his place in the starting team to Brian Hoyer, and when he did get game time in December, he didn't do well to put it mildly. His rookie season was ended with a hamstring injury, and his off-field antics started to unravel. Even with all that it was still a major surprise in January when it was revealed that he had checked into rehab in Pennsylvania. He was released late last week and has made his first public utterance since then with a big fat apology the first words out of his lips:

"I owe private apologies to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization and the fans that I let down. "I take full responsibility for my actions and it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect.  I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say. I also understand there’s a lot of curiosity about this but anyone who has a friend or family member that’s been through things like this knows it’s an ongoing process. "I’m going to continue to ask folks to try to respect my privacy as I determine to what degree I am comfortable talking about a subject which I consider very personal.  Most of you have been considerate about that and I thank you for it.  I look forward to seeing my teammates next week and focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be.'

America loves a good apology and also a comeback, so it will be interesting to see how Manziel re-integrates with some of his teammates who he royally annoyed with his antics last season. H/T to Profootballtalk