Johnny Manziel Reveals He Attempted Suicide: 'My Plan Was to Take My Life'

Johnny Manziel has revealed that he once attempted suicide, following his release from the Cleveland Browns in 2016. The revelation comes in Johnny Football, a Netflix documentary about his career. At one point, per USA Today, Manziel admits that, at his lowest point, he made a "plan" and nearly took his own life.

"I had planned to do everything I wanted to do at that point in my life, spend as much money as I possibly could and then my plan was to take my life," Manziel said in the documentary, revealing that he bought a gun earlier in the year and went on a "$5 million bender" after ignoring advice and going to rehab. "I wanted to get as bad as humanly possible to where it made sense, and it made it seem like an excuse and an out for me."

However, miraculously, his suicide attempt was a failure, due to his gun malfunctioning. "Still to this day, don't know what happened," he said. "But the gun just clicked on me."

Notably, in an interview with USA Today, Manziel notes that he's been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and it's something that he's had to learn how to manage and prioritize. "I think there's a lot of things that I have to do just from a mental health standpoint. They get me out of bed in the morning to make sure I'm staying on myself," he said. 

Manziel continued, "I don't ever want to go back to being in a place of where I was maybe six, seven years ago after my time in Cleveland was up. Things to do just on a personal level, to keep myself pretty even keel and where I want to be. And my friends and my family right now are the biggest piece and biggest factor in my life.

Now living in Scottsdale, Arizona, Manziel says he felt like it was the right time to tell his story. "I still go out in daily life and have so many people that come up to me and ask me about football, you know, 'Are you still playing or are you doing that? You're doing that,'" Manziel said. "So, a decade later, I've reflected back on it quite a bit and felt like this was a good time. Able to put a bow on the 'Johnny Football' side of things, to stop a lot of those questions that I get and be able to tell an amazing story and be able to move on with my life. I got an amazing opportunity with Netflix and untold to be able to do this. And it felt right."

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.