Bob Hinton, one of Johnny Manziel's lawyers, has officially withdrawn from the former Cleveland Bears quarterback's court case. According to reports, this happened after he accidentally sent a text message to a news agency regarding Manziel's drug use.
Manziel, who was awarded the Heisman Trophy when he was still a freshman, is currently facing a variety of legal issues including the domestic abuse charges made against him by his former girlfriend.
The exact details of the Manziel's ongoing court battles have been generally hidden from the public but last Friday, Hinton may have accidentally revealed that they are hoping to go for a plea deal.
In the text message, which was accidentally sent to the Associated Press, Hinton talked about a receipt which could indicate that Manziel recently spent about $1,000 on drug paraphernalia. He also noted that his client's case could become even more complicated if the court requires him to take a drug test.
"Heaven help us if one of the conditions is to pee in a bottle," Hinton stated in the text message.
This clearly indicates that Manziel is having trouble staying clean, despite spending a year inside a rehabilitation center.
Due to the mishap regarding the text message, Hinton decided to step down as one of Manziel's counsels. This was confirmed by lead attorney Jim Darnell, according to Pro Football Talk.
Although the revelation about Manziel still using illegal substance could significantly affect his court case, this may not have come as a surprise for his family. During an interview with ESPN, the athlete's father, Paul Manziel, admitted that his son has drug abuse problems and is in dire need of help.
"He's a druggie," he said. "It's not a secret that he's a druggie. I don't know what to say other than my son is a druggie and he needs help."
"He just hasn't [sought] it yet," he continued. "Hopefully he doesn't die before he comes to his senses. That's about all you can say. I don't know what else to say."
The elder Manziel also went on to say that the rehabilitation center's treatment procedures did not work well on him.
"I had him in rehab and he escaped and the doctors let him go," he said. "And that is a whole other story. So I mean I had him [in rehab] and the system failed. It didn't work."
