The Psychology Behind Johnny Manziel's 'Downfall'

After his sophomore year at Texas A&M, Manziel chose to forgo his junior year and declare for the NFL Draft. He was projected to be a top pick, and was eventually chosen by the Cleveland Browns in the 1st round. Cleveland was having quarterback troubles, and fans hoped that Manziel would bring the Browns back to glory. However, this is when Manziel first started to get into controversy. In a preseason loss to the Washington Redskins, Manziel made a hand gesture and was fined $12,000 as a result. During the 2014 regular season, his work ethic was constantly questioned by fans and the media, as he was regularly seen partying and drinking. In the 2015 offseason, he checked himself into a rehabilitation center for alcohol addiction, but troubles still occurred during the regular season. After the 2015 regular season, Manziel was fired, his agent no longer represented him, all commercial ties were cut, and was just indicted on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. Instead of being the quarterback the Browns were hoping for, Manziel caused more scandal than results.

One of the consequences of narcissistic personality disorder is low self-esteem. Low self-esteem is often due to a person's insecurities, with some symptoms including mistrusting others and having a slightly perfectionist attitude. Manziel can be characterized as someone with low self-esteem, due to his actions off the field. Maybe, if we look at this psychologically, Manziel resorted to partying and alcohol dependence (both insecurities) because of his poor performance on the NFL field. At Texas A&M, he had high self-esteem due to his excellent performances in high-stake games, and constant praise from fans. In Cleveland, however, Manziel was seemingly not ready for professional football, which might have caused some of his insecurities to rise from his ego. We may never know if all of this is true. We may also never know if Johnny Manziel actually suffers from narcissistic personality disorder, or if he is just mildly egotistical. But by looking at Manziel's "downfall" psychologically, we might have a better idea on why "Johnny Football" is now struggling to get by.