Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel is nearing his return to the football field. The former first-round draft pick officially entered the Fan Controlled Football bubble on Monday. He will now prepare to hit the field for the first game on Feb. 13.
TMZ Sports obtained a video that showed Manziel arriving at the team hotel in Gwinnett County, Georgia. He briefly spoke to an official before heading to the elevator with his luggage. Manziel is a member of the Zappers — a team co-owned by NY Mets pitcher Trevor May, comedian Bob Menery and Ronnie2K — after signing a deal in December 2020. He will be the starting quarterback for the first game against the Beasts.
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FCF is an indoor football league and will feature 7-on-7 full-contact games. Fans will control everything from the uniforms, logos and the play calling. The field is a mere 50 yards in length and features 10-yard end zones. All of the games, which will feature a lot of scoring plays, will take place at a special facility in Atlanta.
“The more I heard about what this was going to be, the more I felt it was going to be something that was just very fun,” the 28-year-old Manziel said after signing with FCF. “It’s going to be very fan-oriented and something I could get behind without being extremely, extremely, extremely serious, the way that my football career has been in the past.”
Manziel has not suited up for a football game since 2019. He played in the Alliance of American Football, a short-lived league that folded after eight games. Manziel also played in The Spring League and Canadian Football League after being released by the Browns in 2015. He previously shut down rumors of a return to football via the XFL or any other league but ultimately joined FCF after meeting its co-founder.
“Life gives you opportunities sometimes to do something that you would still like to do if it was in a different capacity,” Manziel said. “This has a lot of potential to just be a good time and still be football-centric. They’re going to let the people [who] join this league be who they are and have fun with it and be a little bit more free than what football is sometimes. That’s definitely what appealed to me.”
There are four teams in FCF, including the Zappers. The Beats feature celebrity owners in Marshawn Lynch, Mike Tyson, Miro and Renee Montgomery. Richard Sherman, Quavo and Deestroying own the Glacier Boyz. The Wild Aces round out the group and feature Austin Ekeler and video game personality Greg Miller as owners.
