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Johnny Manziel Bought a Gun Ahead of $5 Million Bender: ‘Untold’ Recap on August 8, 2023 at 7:00 am Us Weekly
Johnny Manziel’s rise and fall transcended football — and he’s pulling back the curtain on his controversies and mental health struggles for the first time in Netflix’s Untold: Johnny Football.
Texas A&M fans may remember Manziel’s college career got off to a rocky start when he was arrested weeks before his first game as the football-crazy school’s quarterback. The incident marked the first of many controversies to come.
“I don’t have much of a recollection other than waking up shirtless on a concrete bench in Bryan County Jail,” Manziel, who was booked for a fake ID after a fight, told Netflix cameras. “[A&M’s statement] said, ‘That wasn’t very normal for my character.’ … I guess looking back now, it was normal for my character.”
It wasn’t long into the 2012 season, however, before Manizel proved that he could perform on the field regardless of his hard partying. As a result, his coaches, as they later admitted, let him get away with whatever he wanted — and “Johnny Football” was born.
After leading the Aggies to a shocking victory against No. 1 ranked Alabama in November, Manziel recalled being treated like a celebrity on and off A&M’s College Station campus. “You walk off the field like a f—king G,” he said.
One month later, Manziel became a household name as the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, awarded every year to the country’s best college football player. While his outstanding play brought A&M a windfall in money and publicity — Manziel’s Heisman win was estimated to bring the university $37 million worth of free PR — he quickly grew frustrated that he wasn’t seeing any of that money himself.
Johnny Manziel. MEGA
“There were two times throughout the season where I had to sign hundreds and hundreds of autographs [for] our donors,” Manziel said of the events the university held to raise funds for a new stadium. “I was tired of not having any money and I sure as hell saw 45 million No. 2 A&M Adidas jerseys sold. It didn’t make any sense, and I had a bone to pick.”
Manziel and then–best friend Nate Fitch opted to ignore NCAA rules that college athletes couldn’t profit off of their own likenesses and began selling autographs in January 2013. They made $30,000 on their first deal with an unnamed “king of all autographs,” who Fitch alleged Alex Rodriguez vouched for during a phone call.
The two BFFs subsequently began partying with A-listers including Drake, Rick Ross, Lebron James, Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake. “None of them could believe [Johnny] was there,” Fitch said.
As a result of A&M advising freshmen not to talk to any media, Fitch fielded questions about Manziel’s sudden wealth, lying about his family being from “oil money.” The two men made more than $100,000 — they split the money 80/20 — before the NCAA began to investigate Manziel. Fitch and Manziel’s attempts to cover their tracks, which included trading the cash for checks from Manziel’s grandfather, proved somewhat successful as Manziel was suspended for only half a game and they continued their autograph business during the 2013-2014 season.
A&M, however, went 8-4 during Manziel’s sophomore season and the quarterback caught a lot of heat for his increasingly erratic behavior, which included skipping practice and showing up hungover. “F—k your practice. I’m the best player in the country,” Manziel recalled thinking. “Whether people like to say it or not, I was bigger than College Station.”
After the season ended, Manziel declared for the NFL draft — and Fitch and Manziel quickly had a falling out when the athlete signed with professional agent Erik Burkhardt.
“We had originally told [Nate] that there wasn’t going to be a guy with me on a day-to-day,” Manziel said. “When we told him that wasn’t gonna happen, kind of thing like he felt his role in the whole world was diminished kind of pulled away. I don’t think we’ve spoken again since then. … I felt terrible about it, but at the same time because of what my track record was, they weren’t going to allow me to do that.”
As he prepared for the NFL combine, a pre-draft workout in which teams judge former college players on their abilities, Burkhardt attempted to keep Manziel on the straight and narrow, drug testing him weekly. “I was really, really good until the week before the combine in Indy, and I finally just broke,” Manziel said, admitting he went to a party with rappers and actresses in L.A. “I woke up in a hotel room, and didn’t know how I got there.”
Johnny Manziel. Larry W Smith/EPA/Shutterstock
While Burkhardt wanted Manziel’s dad to fake a hospital trip to buy Manziel’s some time, the football player was confident he could drink enough water to get the drugs out of his system — which he claimed was his strategy while in college. Burkhardt later learned the Aggies’ fourth-string QB was submitting his own clean urine for Manziel.
Despite the close call, Manziel passed the test and nearly solidified a deal with the Houston Texans before he got drunk at the owner’s country club. Manziel was ultimately picked 22nd by the Cleveland Browns in the 1st round.
“When I got everything that I wanted, I think I was the most empty that I’ve ever felt inside,” Manziel said, noting that he didn’t feel any connection to his teammates in Cleveland.
Manziel admitted to watching zero game film and struggling on and off the field. “I would sit in my condo in Cleveland downtown and just feel like it was the only place that [I could] get away from everybody and anything,” he said. “And I would look out those windows, every day I just felt empty. I went from one fish bowl city to another and I wanted nothing to do with football.”
In 2015, his substance abuse issues spiraled again, and after he missed a game in early 2016 because he was partying in Las Vegas, he was officially cut by the Browns. Manziel subsequently went on what he described as the biggest bender yet, getting arrested after a fight with his then-girlfriend Colleen Crowley.
“Throughout that relationship, I was unfaithful. You know, we get into a heated, heated argument. You know she’s trying to jump out of the car and …” he said before trailing off.
Johnny Manziel. Photographer Group/MEGA
Manziel was dropped by his agent and estranged from his family.
“[It was] the first point in my life where I really ramped up my drug use to a constant, daily thing. I was mostly doing a lot of coke and taking Oxys,” he said. “I went from 215 pounds in January to 175 pounds by September. The wires in my head seem very twisted. I got diagnosed Bipolar, Then I felt like it was the same thing as being called an alcoholic or a drug addict.”
Manziel described his monthslong bender, on which he spent an astonishing $5 million, as “direct self-sabotage trying to burn this thing down.”
“I had planned to do everything that I wanted to do at that point in my life — spend as much money as I possibly could and then my plan was to take my life,” he said. “Months prior, I went and bought a gun that I knew I was going to use. I wanted to get as bad as humanly possible to where it made sense and it made it seem like an excuse and an out for me. Still to this day, don’t know what happened, but the gun just clicked on me.”
While Manziel concluded that he “couldn’t fix” what happened “with Colleen, the NFL, with A&M” and “didn’t have much of a relationship with my family,” he returned to Texas.
According to his sister, Manziel is still a work in progress.
“I think people do, maybe, worry about me sometimes, but I mean, that’s natural,” he concluded. “You know, I’ve given them reason[s] to do that.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Johnny Manziel’s rise and fall transcended football — and he’s pulling back the curtain on his controversies and mental health struggles for the first time in Netflix’s Untold: Johnny Football. Texas A&M fans may remember Manziel’s college career got off to a rocky start when he was arrested weeks before his first game as the
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AfriqueFest: Pan-African Musical Experience — World Cup Edition is set to take over Noto Houston on Sunday, June 28, bringing together East, South, and West African sounds in one immersive celebration of music, culture, and connection. Presented by Experience Noir and Bolanle Media, the event is designed as a cinematic night for the culture, blending global energy with Houston nightlife in a way that feels elevated, intentional, and deeply rooted in African creativity.
Spotlight on DJ Shinski
At the heart of this year’s experience is DJ Shinski. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya and now based in Houston, DJ Shinski has built an international name off high-energy sets that move effortlessly across Afrobeats, Amapiano, hip‑hop, dancehall, reggae, and electronic sounds.
He has also become Africa’s most‑subscribed DJ on YouTube, crossing the 2‑million‑subscriber mark and turning his mixes into a global destination for music lovers.
DJ Shinski’s style is precise but unpredictable: one moment it’s classic Afrobeats, the next it’s East African anthems, then a run of throwback hip‑hop or R&B that still feels fresh. That ability to read a room and connect multiple worlds in a single set is exactly why AfriqueFest is building so much of the night’s energy around him.
At AfriqueFest, DJ Shinski helps drive the Safari Grooves segment, representing East and Central Africa from 4 PM to 6 PM. Expect a journey that moves from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Kampala, Addis, and beyond, all filtered through his signature “vibes on vibes” approach behind the decks.
DJ Tunez and the rest of the night
Supporting that energy, DJ Tunez leads the Gold Coast Beats chapter from 8 PM to 10 PM, bringing his own Nigerian‑American Afrobeats pedigree to the stage. Together with the Diamond Rhythms segment (South) and a curated roster of DJs, the night stretches across the continent in three distinct musical chapters, all connected by a single dance floor.
Hosted by @chris_gone_crazy, @kingdrewwskyy, @roselynomaka, and @samsnewleaf, AfriqueFest is positioned as more than a party—it’s a celebration of sound, style, and Pan‑African identity in Houston, with DJ Shinski anchoring the experience from the moment doors open.
Brought to you by Bolanle Media & Experience Noir
Brought to you by Bolanle Media and Experience Noir, this World Cup edition of AfriqueFest is crafted as a night where global DJs, storytellers, and music lovers collide and create a shared cultural memory. With DJ Shinski front and center—and DJ Tunez helping close the night—guests can expect a show that reflects both the future of African nightlife and the power of the diaspora to create unforgettable live moments.
If you want to experience DJ Shinski live at AfriqueFest, now is the time to lock in your spot. Purchase your tickets now at AfriqueFest.com and get ready for a night of music, movement, and culture at Noto Houston.
Laughter Meets Inspiration: Our Ladies Show Lands on The Roku Channel
A bold new sketch comedy series for women premieres June 13 across the U.S., U.K., and Canada — arriving on the back of a festival-winning run that has critics and audiences already paying attention.
It isn’t every day a brand-new comedy arrives already wearing a row of trophies. Our Ladies Show does. The seven-episode inspirational sketch comedy series — created, written by, and starring Christin Jezak — begins streaming on The Roku Channel on Friday, June 13, 2026, available free to viewers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Produced in partnership with global media services leader Encompass Digital Media, the series sets out to do something rare in today’s streaming landscape: make women laugh out loud and leave them lifted. In a media moment crowded with noise and cynicism, Our Ladies Show is a deliberate counterweight — comedy with a conscience, built for women of every age and background.
A Show Built Around Real Life — and Real Laughs
Each of the seven episodes opens with a monologue from one of the cast members introducing the theme, then rolls into three or more sketches that hit the subject from every comedic angle. The series tackles the things women actually carry: holding grudges, comparison, beauty, patience, gift giving, the importance of community, and dealing with anxiety.
The comedy comes from a place of warmth rather than mockery — a “laugh at ourselves” spirit that runs through a gallery of unforgettable characters: a nosey neighbor, an overwhelmed mom, relentlessly optimistic flight attendants, beauty pageant winners past their prime, and a crew of unruly campers with a counselor who simply cannot hold it together.
Then the show does something most sketch series don’t. In the final segment of every episode, the cast gathers in a living-room setting and invites the audience in — sharing real inspiration drawn from the theme, the sketches, and their own personal stories. It’s the moment the laughter turns into something that stays with you.
The Women Behind the Show
Our Ladies Show brings together three performers with serious range:
- Christin Jezak — creator, writer, and star (Miracle at Manchester, Raising Hope, Jimmy Kimmel Live!)
- Hillary Hawkins — (Primal, Nick Jr.’s Play Along, Gullah Gullah Island)
- Sarah Hernandez — (Nefarious, Unplanned, House of Payne)
“In a world with so much division and depression, I hope women of all ages and backgrounds will watch this show, laugh, be reminded of how beautiful, unique, and loved they are, and remember how much we need each other.”— Christin Jezak, Creator & Star
Already a Festival Favorite
The series’ recurring long-form sketch, Neighborhood Watch, didn’t arrive quietly. Originally released as a web series and revamped for Our Ladies Show with new footage, sound, and music, it has been sweeping the festival circuit:
- 🏆 Best Webseries — 2026 New Media Film Festival (Los Angeles)
- 🏆 Best Web/TV Series — Paris Film Awards
- 🏆 Best Web Series — Dallas Movie Awards
- 🏅 Additional wins at the London Movie Awards, Florence Film Awards, and Hollywood Gold Awards
- 🎬 Official Selection — 2026 Harvard Divinity School Film Fest
- ⭐ Finalist — Houston Comedy Film Festival
- 📣 Three nominations — 2025 Content Christian Media Conference, including Best Actress in a TV and Web Series nods for both Christin Jezak and Sarah Hernandez
Where and When to Watch
Our Ladies Show premieres Friday, June 13, 2026, streaming on The Roku Channel — the home of premium and free entertainment — in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. All seven episodes deliver the series’ signature blend of sharp sketch comedy and genuine encouragement.
Watch the trailer now on your platform of choice:
For more information, visit www.ourladiesshow.com and follow @ourladiesshow on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
About Christin Jezak
Christin Jezak has worked for over 15 years in the entertainment industry. She created and stars in Our Ladies Show and the award-winning web series Neighborhood Watch. She produced the EWTN TV program For the Sake of the Gospel and the all-women web series Ladies Keepin’ It Real, played Dr. Sam in Miracle at Manchester (starring Dean Cain, Daniel Roebuck, and Eddie McClintock), and voices Agnes in the podcast Confessions of a Catholic Single. She held a lead role in a short film for NTT Data directed by Academy Award–winning cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, has co-starred on Raising Hope, and appeared in Jimmy Kimmel sketches and a Grubhub Super Bowl commercial.
About The Roku Channel
Roku pioneered streaming on TV and is the #1 TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico by hours streamed (Hypothesis Group, Dec. 2025). The Roku Channel is the home of premium and free entertainment, alongside Roku’s Howdy and Frndly TV services. Roku is headquartered in San Jose, California.
About Encompass Digital Media
Encompass Digital Media is a global managed services company — technology-driven, software-defined, and people-powered. Trusted by world-leading broadcasters, networks, sports rights-holders, and OTT platforms, it processes over 25,000 hours of content daily, serves 850 channels to 84 countries, distributes over 243,000 live events annually, and reaches 400 million radio listeners weekly worldwide. Learn more at www.encompass.tv.
Media & Interview Requests: To interview creator Christin Jezak or the cast, contact Christin at cjezak@p2ptheatre.com.
Most of the talk about Euphoria asks one question: was it realistic? That’s the wrong question if you make films. The better one is simpler. How did Sam Levinson get an audience to feel addiction from the inside? And what did it cost him to end the show the way he did?
Strip away the noise and Euphoria is a clinic in three choices: point of view, style, and the ending. Here’s what’s worth taking — and what isn’t.
1. Put the Camera Inside the Character
Most shows about drugs watch from across the room. Euphoria doesn’t. When Rue is high, the camera is high too. Walls breathe. Floors tilt. Time skips. You’re not watching her — you’re stuck inside her head.
That’s the lesson: point of view is a decision you make with the camera and the cut, not a mood you add later in color. Levinson builds it into the lens, the blocking, and the edit.
So before you shoot a scene through a character’s eyes, ask one thing on set: whose eyes is this lens standing in for? Then make every cut respect that.
2. Your Style Has to Mean Something
The glitter. The slow push-ins. The impossible club lighting. Euphoria‘s look got copied everywhere. That’s the trap.
The style worked because it carried weight. The beauty wasn’t decoration — it was the lie addiction tells you, the reason the next high looks worth it. The camera made self-destruction gorgeous on purpose.
The copies missed that. A thousand music videos took the look and left the meaning behind, and you can feel how hollow they are. So here’s the test: if your signature style could be swapped onto any other project and still “work,” it’s not a style. It’s a filter. Every choice should have a reason behind it.
3. The Ending Tells the Audience What It All Meant
When Euphoria ended for good in Season 3, Levinson killed Rue — an accidental, fentanyl-laced overdose. He called it “the honest ending,” saying he wanted to tell a true story about addiction and grief in a time when one mistake can be the last one. Reportedly, that wasn’t the original plan; the death of Angus Cloud, who played Fezco, changed the script.
Forget whether you agree with the choice. Study how it works. An ending is the last instruction you give your audience about how to read everything before it.
By ending on consequence instead of recovery, Levinson reframed seven years of beautiful chaos as a story about cost — not a celebration of it.
It’s also the show’s most debatable move, and that’s worth noticing too. A show that spent years making pain look beautiful had to fight to make that pain land as loss. Did it earn the ending, or enjoy the wreckage too long to stick it? Smart filmmakers will disagree — and that argument is exactly what a good ending is supposed to start.
What Not to Take
The neon grief is the most copied part. It’s also the least useful. Take the surface — the colors, the slow-mo, the trauma-as-texture — and you get the costume without the body.
The real craft is underneath. Commit your camera to a real point of view. Make every stylistic choice earn its place. Treat your ending as the point of the whole thing. Do that, and your work won’t look like Euphoria. It’ll do what Euphoria did.
This piece touches on addiction and substance use. If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available through the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
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