Written by Kevin Seifert at ESPN.com
A Canadian Football League team has denied a report that it worked out former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, who is attempting a comeback after sitting out the 2016 NFL season.
Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager and coach Chris Jones told TSN that “no one from our club” worked out Manziel.
In a separate statement to ESPN, the CFL said: “We are investigating. The Riders tell us that they did not work out Manziel. So at this point, it appears the report is false. Should other evidence come to light, we will deal with it accordingly.”
Denise Michaels, Manziel’s spokesperson, said Manziel has not worked out for a CFL team.
The Roughriders would be in violation of CFL tampering rules if the workout did occur, because Manziel’s CFL rights are owned by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Jones told TSN that he is “considering legal action.”
The Canadian blog 3DownNation reported Thursday morning that Manziel worked out for Saskatchewan officials in Florida prior to the Senior Bowl. Practices for the Senior Bowl began Jan. 24 in Mobile, Alabama, and the event concluded with a game on Jan. 27.
Manziel, 24, was not immediately available for comment.
In a Jan. 12 post on Instagram, he said he had been sober for 18 days and was pursuing a comeback. In a subsequent message sent to ESPN’s Ed Werder, Manziel said: “I love sports, I love football and when you take something away from yourself you realize it the hard way. The happiness from doing it sober has been ASTRONOMICAL. Beyond my wildest imagination and once that continued other good things started happening in my life and it just clicked.”
Manziel, a first-round pick in 2014, spent 10 weeks in rehab after his rookie season. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
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