Was Johnny Manziel involved in an altercation with a Browns fan on Friday night inside of a hotel in Cleveland? According to a report released by Cleveland Scene yesterday, yes. A member of Manziel's entourage allegedly punched 33-year-old Chris Gonos in the face after he approached Johnny Football and said, "I'm the biggest Browns fan ever, I love you, I want to give you a hug." And while Manziel himself didn't punch the man, Gonos told Cleveland Scene that Manziel did "sucker punch" his brother during a brawl that broke out after the first punch was thrown.
Manziel's agent Erik Burkhardt says that's not exactly how things went down, though. Last night, he confirmed that an altercation involving Manziel did take place at The 9 hotel in Cleveland. But he claimed that Manziel was the victim in it and that he was not walking around with an "entourage" when it took place.
"There was no entourage," Burkhardt said in a statement released late Monday. "Johnny and his roommate were trying to get on the apartment elevator at his home when they were accosted by a very aggressive man and his associates. It was an unfortunate situation and he immediately let [Browns general manager] Ray Farmer and the team know what happened."
For what it's worth, Gonos told Cleveland Scene that there is video of the incident that is probably going to leak out at some point. So we may find out what really happened during the altercation sooner than later. But for now, there are two very different versions of the story, so it's difficult to assess what actually happened between Manziel and the fan.
Stay tuned for additional details.
[via CBS Sports]
