Dallas police announced
Friday night they are launching a criminal investigation into a domestic
violence assault complaint filed against Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. The move comes a day
after police said they had closed an investigation into allegations that
Manziel had hit his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, in an incident last
Saturday that started at a downtown Dallas hotel, and that he would not face
charges. Police said in a release that they received an assault complaint
Friday for a Jan. 30 incident, and Manziel was listed as the suspect. It is
unclear if the complaint is over the same Jan. 30 incident detailed in the
police report released Thursday.
But the release from
Dallas police Friday night said it was not uncommon for the victim of domestic
violence "to question or delay reporting an assault." "This is
an ongoing investigation and updates will be made as information becomes
available," the release stated. Crowley released a statement to WFAA, the
ABC affiliate in Dallas, on Friday night. "On Feb. 5, I met with domestic
violence specialists at the Dallas Police Department," she said. "I
provided them with a complete description of the events on the night of January
29th and answered their questions. I don't know what will happen next with this
case -- that'll be up to the Dallas Police Department. I am hopeful that
everyone will understandably respect my wish for privacy at this time."
The new investigation
comes on a day when Manziel was dropped by his agent, Erik Burkhardt, and his
father, Paul Manziel, told The Dallas Morning News that if Manziel
didn't get help, he feared his son wouldn't make it to his 24th birthday in
December. Paul Manziel also told the newspaper that his family had tried to get
Johnny Manziel into rehab twice in the past week, but he had left twice.Also
Friday, Crowley reportedly got a protection order against him in which he
must stay at least 500 feet from her home and place of work for two years. In
the incident last Saturday, Manziel allegedly struck Crowley several times at
the Hotel ZaZa in downtown Dallas, according to a Fort Worth police report
released Thursday. According to the report, parts of which were redacted,
Manziel and Crowley left the hotel after he struck her. Manziel drove them to
Crowley's apartment in Fort Worth. Crowley told officers she and Manziel
shouted angrily at each other, going back and forth, during the drive, and that
he struck her several more times.
WFAA, citing unnamed
sources, reported that Manziel told Crowley to "shut up or I'll kill us
both" after he forced her into the car. She alleged he was acting "as
if he were on some kind of drugs," but maintained he was not intoxicated.Manziel,
in an interview with TMZ Sports posted on its website later Thursday, said of
the claims he struck his ex-girlfriend: "It didn't happen." He also
said, "I'm completely stable. I'm safe and secure." A source close to
Manziel, who spoke to the quarterback Friday, told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that
Manziel "is concerned" about all of the stories about him and said he
is doing "all right." The Browns released a statement earlier in the
week saying they would address Manziel's status "when permitted by league
rules." A source told ESPN's Pat McManamon earlier this week that the
Browns plan to release Manziel in March.
