If there was something worse than watching Johnny Manziel go from an NFL bust to a man accused of assaulting his former girlfriend, it may have come in the form of someone who appears to be another enabler in his life: His lawyer.
In what we can only hope was just an incredibly ill-timed joke, Manziel’s lawyer Bob Hinton told reporters that he hoped the outcome of his client’s court case is that “everyone will kiss and make up”.
Manziel attorney says preferred outcome is that "everyone will kiss and make up"
— Eric Prisbell (@EricPrisbell) May 5, 2016
Hinton’s goal is obviously to look out for the best interest of his client, but there’s ways he can do that without minimizing the very serious nature of the charges against him and the problems with domestic violence in and outside of the NFL. Let’s read some more about the alleged incident that resulted in the charges against him.
Via USA TODAY Sports’ Eric Prisbell:
His former girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, accused Manziel of striking her several times and said he threatened to kill Crowley and himself after the two left a Dallas bar on Jan. 30, according to an affidavit that was part of a protection order application. She also said in the affidavit that Manziel appeared as if he were “on some kind of drugs.”
“He hit me with his open hand on my left ear for jumping out of the car,” Crowley claimed in the affidavit. “I realized immediately that I could not hear out of that ear.”
That’s not something that can be solved with a simple kiss.
Manziel, regardless of the outcome of the charges against him, needs help.
It’s a shame that even his own lawyer doesn’t seem to recognize the seriousness of the situation.
UPDATE: In a statement to USA TODAY Sports, Jim Darnell, Manziel’s lead counsel said that “Mr. Hinton certainly misspoke and his comment does not reflect either the feelings of Mr. Manziel or his legal team. I assure you we all recognize the seriousness of the situation.”
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Hector Olivera
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