Despite knowing that Johnny Manziel had been working on his mental health, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans was unaware of the severity of his former Texas A&M teammate’s difficulties.
Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner and quarterback, disclosed in Netflix’s “Untold: Johnny Football” that he had attempted suicide after engaging in a “$5 million bender.”
Evans expressed his appreciation to Manziel for sharing his experiences in his documentary with ESPN.
The former Cleveland Browns quarterback, Evans revealed, “I was aware that he was in a very dark place.” He also expressed his concern for the boy’s safety.
The documentary revealed that Manziel had planned to spend his entire financial resources on suicide, after burning bridges with former coaches, teammates, close friends and family, losing endorsements, and declining help with substance abuse issues.
Manziel stated in the documentary that he had planned to do everything possible during his life. “I spent a lot of money, but then I had my heart set on killing myself. Then and there, I bought essentially every gun I could think of. I wanted to get as far as I was able by doing it,” she said.
The gun’s attraction was felt by Manziel, as he stated.
Manziel shared his experience with bipolar disorder and revealed that he had been self-treating to manage his condition since his diagnosis in 2017.
Evans expressed that the individual’s actions were noble, as it necessitated a great deal of heartfelt effort to acknowledge their actions and seek help.
Evans claimed to have knowledge of all the details that Manziel revealed in the documentary. He watched it on Tuesday night, and he was featured in it while standing alongside him during the Texas A&M Hall of Fame inductions at Kyle Field last year.
The duo maintains contact on and off.
ESPN reported that Evans thought the documentary was excellent because it had a lot of information that I already knew, and many questions have been answered.
Manziel was a rising star in the country when he won the Heisman at age 20, and as noted by Evans, his off-field incidents, including legal troubles, were documented on social media.
Manziel acknowledged that he had committed self-destructive behavior due to his disillusionment with football upon entering the NFL.
According to Evans, the player’s talent was not unknown to many. He recalled that his time as a college quarterback was short-lived, and he was like the first of their generation to be hanging out with famous people in an awkward situation.