Johnny Manziel dropped as Cleveland Browns starting quarterback after 'two-day bender'

Manziel has been filmed in an Austin nightclub dancing with a bottle of champagne during the Browns' bye week

Cleveland Browns have dropped Johnny Manziel as starting quarter-back (Getty Images)

Johnny Manziel has been dropped as the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback just two weeks since being promoted after he was caught on video on a “two-day bender” last week.

‘Johnny Football’ has already been warned that his lifestyle off the pitch could end up costing him a career on it, but appears to have ignored the advice after a video obtained by TMZ Sports revealed the NFL player dancing in a nightclub with a bottle of champagne in his hands.

It’s claimed that Manziel had joined friends at a nightclub in Austin, Texas, during the Browns’ bye week, where he is said to have visited he RIO Rooftop nightclub on Thursday night before appearing at Summit on Friday.

Witnesses have added that Manziel was seen drinking champagne at Summit, and although he has not been disciplined by the Browns, he has lost the starting spot to Josh McCown and has also fallen behind Austin Davis in the pecking order.

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Head coach Mike Pettine said in a statement: “Everyone in this organisation wants what is best for Johnny, just like we do for every player in our locker room. I’m especially disappointed in his actions and behaviour because he has been working very hard.

“The improvements from last year to this year have been tremendous but he still has to consistently demonstrate that he has gained a good understanding of what it takes to be successful at the quarterback position on this level. It goes well beyond the field. We are going to continue to support him in every way possible, but at this point, we’ve decided it’s best to go with Josh as the starter going forward.”

Manziel entered rehab earlier this year for an unspecified problem and was pulled over by police for arguing with his girlfriend last month, but he stressed that he was a “changed man” when he finished his treatment.

Manziel was elevated to starting quarter-back earlier this month (Getty Images)

He impressed in his last start for Cleveland, throwing for 372 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers and completing 73.3% of his attempted passes, but he could do nothing to prevent a 30-9 defeat on Sunday 15 November.

Pettine added: “It’s a little easier to handle when it’s just a one-time occurrence, but when behaviour repeats, not just him but with anybody, it’s certainly a cause for concern.

Johnny Manziel entered rehab earlier this year (Getty Images)

“You have a vision of what you want the team to look like, how you want them to handle themselves when they’re out of the building. We talk a lot about it ... so when things like this happen – and not just him, but just in general – any team when you have incidents like that [where] a guy knows that he represents more than himself and has issues off the field, it is frustrating.”