In an interview with ESPN this past Friday, Johnny Manziel said that he's looking for someone to take a shot on him. "A preseason game, anything, I don't care what it is," Manziel said. "Only need one team to believe in me and I'll do anything to make that a possibility." Even though it isn't the NFL, Johnny Football could get an opportunity to prove that he's truly focused on the game and show that his partying ways are behind him by accepting an invitation to play in an independent football league starting this April.
"If Johnny Manziel is serious about a future in the NFL, the Spring League is willing to provide him with a platform to prove he's still relevant," Spring League CEO Brian Woods told the Associated Press. Manziel isn't the only reclamation project that Woods is trying to entice. He says he's also spoken with representatives for Ray Rice and Vince Young.
"Our core strategy is to address deficiencies in the current pro football landscape by providing a showcase to experienced NFL players and an instructional platform for younger talent in need of live game repetitions, which are paramount for development," Woods said, per ESPN. While the league is looking to snag players in their mid-20s, Woods would make an exception for Young, 33, and Rice, 29.
The Spring League will begin training on April 5 at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. In a matter of three weeks, the four teams will play a total of six games. Even though the NFL has no affiliation with this league, they will reportedly send scouts to games and workouts.
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