The Strange Reason Johnny Manziel Did Not Start For The Browns This Weekend

One week after reminding the world, albeit briefly, how exciting of a football player he can be, Johnny Manziel was back on the bench for the Browns and the reason why suggests things are getting ugly in Cleveland.

Prior to the season, the Browns chose Brian Hoyer to be their starter over Manziel because they wanted to go with the more experienced player.

This past week, head coach Mike Pettine waited until Wednesday before announcing the team would stick with Hoyer, saying he gave the team the best chance to win. But the decision may have been more about the team's continued disappointment in what they feel is a lack of dedication from Manziel.

According to Jay Glazer of Fox, the team waited until Wednesday to make the decision because they wanted to see how Manziel handled himself on Monday and Tuesday knowing there was a possibility he would start the next game.

On Tuesday night, Manziel was seen sitting courtside at a Cleveland Cavaliers game and that played a factor in the Browns' decision to start Hoyer.

"People inside the organization, they wanted to see how [Manziel] would handle potentially starting and there he is [at the Cavs game]," Glazer said on Fox NFL Sunday. "They would hope that [Manziel] was either going to be at the complex or at home and just getting ready for the Indianapolis Colts. He wasn't. He was with the Cavs."

This came just two weeks after Manziel was involved in a fight late on a Friday night. After that incident, the Browns issued a statement noting that they were concerned about the time of the fight.

Going to an NBA game for a couple of hours in the middle of the week doesn't seem like a terrible thing and is actually quite tame for Manziel. But it sounds like the Browns have tightened the leash on Manziel and it will be interesting to see if he fights it or if he does start showing a more intense dedication to the team.