Advertisement

Johnny Manziel appears in court on domestic violence charge

Johnny Manziel has appeared in court for the first time on a domestic violence charge stemming from a January incident involving his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley. Manziel was booked and released on $1,500 bond on Wednesday, and on Thursday appeared in Dallas County Criminal Court.

The hearing was a brief one, with Judge Roberto Cañas ordering Manziel to have no contact with Crowley, and barring him from the possession of firearms.

Manziel's arrival in court was the definition of a circus:

Shortly after Wednesday's mug shot, Manziel tweeted then deleted a reference: "Just thankful I had a shirt this time." He had been arrested as a 19-year-old freshman at Texas A&M on charges of disorderly conduct and possession of a fake ID; the shirtless mug shot he took at that time went viral.

Manziel faces up to a year in prison and a $4,000 fine for the current misdemeanor family violence incident, in which he is accused of hitting and dragging Crowley into a car against her will. Manziel has agreed to a two-year protection order barring him from being within 500 feet of Crowley.

Manziel has been released by the Cleveland Browns and dropped by his agents and sponsors. He appears to have no current NFL prospects for the 2016 season.

____
Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.