Johnny Manziel says he is determined to play this season, even after a whirlwind week that culminated in the embattled quarterback being dropped by his second agent in two months.
"I'm hoping to take care of the issues in front of me right now so I can focus on what I have to do if I want to play in 2016," Manziel said in a statement provided to ESPN.com. "I also continue to be thankful to those who really know me and support me."
The statement comes on the heels of agent Drew Rosenhaus officially terminating his representation of Manziel, a league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Rosenhaus
announced last Wednesday that he had informed Manziel of his decision to terminate their relationship, but that he would reverse the decision if the former
Cleveland Browns quarterback entered a treatment facility within five days.
Manziel's statement didn't elaborate on how he planned to "take care" of the issues facing him.
Rosenhaus told Schefter last week that he had decided to sever ties with Manziel "in the hopes of helping him get the treatment I believe he needs."
"I have informed him that if he takes the immediate steps I have outlined for him, that I will rescind the termination and continue to represent him," Rosenhaus said last Wednesday. "Otherwise the termination will become permanent. There is a five-day window for me to rescind the termination. I'm hoping he takes the necessary steps to get his life back on track."
Rosenhaus has never fired a player in his 27 years as an NFL agent, according to ESPN's Ed Werder.
Manziel's previous agent, Erik Burkhardt,
announced in February that he had ended his representation of the former Heisman Trophy winner, saying "accountability is the foundation of any relationship, and without it, the function of my work is counterproductive."
The Browns selected Manziel 22nd overall in the 2014 draft; he was their second of two first-round picks that year. But his two seasons in Cleveland were marred by off-the-field struggles and limited on-the-field success, and he was waived on March 11.
Manziel spent 10 weeks in rehab after his rookie season and is the subject of
a grand jury investigation in Dallas into whether he assaulted his former girlfriend. The NFL is investigating whether Manziel violated its personal conduct policy in that incident.
Dallas prosecutors will present the Manziel case to a grand jury on Thursday, and an indictment could be announced as early as next Monday.
