Johnny Manziel Tells Pat McAfee About 'Dark' Times And Having Gratitude Now

Johnny Manziel is doing the rounds ahead of the release of the Netflix documentary about him. In doing press for the highly anticipated documentary he has been dropping some bombshells.

The former Texas A&M star joined The Pat McAfee Show to talk about some of the dark moments he experienced during his career.

McAfee asked Manziel about one of the revelations that came out before the film's release: that Manziel had considered taking his own life.

"Yeah, that was the first time I'd ever really told anybody outside my immediate family," Manziel told him. "So to kind of sit down on camera and walk them through, you know, just kind of how that year went after the NFL."

Manziel mentioned that he struggled with the sky-high expectations that were waiting for him when he arrived in Cleveland. Of course, things didn't go according to plan during his time with the Browns.

Manziel told McAfee he thinks he always had a plan of sorts in the back of his head.

"So, you know, I think it was almost like a pre-planned thing that I had that, you know, go burn it down until you can't anymore, and then and then take your life."

After experiencing some serious lows, Johnny Manziel says he has a lot of gratitude these days. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Manziel Says He Has A Lot Of Gratitude These Days

Fortunately, things seem to have gotten a lot better for Manziel, something that isn't lost on him.

"I sit here with more gratitude for every day, gratitude towards the small things, and you know, was able to put life into a little bit different perspective after going through something like that," he explained. "Because, you know, it was dark for me."

As McAfee noted in that clip, talking about such a difficult subject as openly as he has will help a lot of people.

Mental health can be a tough thing to talk about it. High marks to Manziel for being so candid about what he went through.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.

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