Johnny Manziel could be benched after allegedly partying during bye week

Johnny Manziel’s status as the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns could be in jeopardy this week after reports surfaced of him allegedly partying with alcohol during the team’s bye week.

Browns Coach Mike Pettine said Tuesday called Manziel’s alleged behavior “disappointing. Very.” But the coach said he is “not in position yet” to make any decision as to the quarterback’s status for Cleveland’s game Monday night against Baltimore.

Pettine said he has seen a video that is making the rounds on social media that shows Manziel at what is said to be an Austin, Texas, nightclub with what looks like a bottle of champagne in his hand. The coach said of the video: “Seen it. Still in process of gathering info. Will get all parties involved this afternoon.”

He added: “I want to sit down and discuss it before I do a knee jerk and go off on a tangent. It’s a little easier to handle when it’s a one-time occurrence, but when it’s repeat behavior its a concern.”

The coach also said that he already has discussed the video with team owner Jimmy Haslam and General Manager Ray Farmer.

As a rookie last year, Manziel was more known for his partying ways than his performance on the field. He spent 10 weeks in a treatment facility during the off-season.

During a charity event at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank on Monday, Manziel suggested the video, said to have been shot last week, could have been an old one. The song being played in the background came out in March.

“Videos can be old. Videos can be all kinds of different things,” said Manziel, who did not deny that he went out and partied during his break.

“I’m not in a state to be able to speak on it because my focus has been on this today and what really matters in this game on Monday. So that’s where my focus has been. I did get a chance to relax [during the bye week]. So I haven’t seen anything like that [video], and I’m not going to be able to speculate on it right now.”

Manziel earned the starting job after a solid performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 15. Backup quarterback Josh McCown told Cleveland.com “I’ll be ready to go” if the Browns need him, but also wished the best for Manziel.

“My hope for him is that whatever choices he’s making, they’re healthy choices,” McCown said of Manziel.