Update (3:35 p.m. ET): Johnny Manziel, who fizzled out as an NFL quarterback but whom many fans on social media have been clamoring to see in the rebooted XFL, reportedly will not be eligible to play in Vince McMahon’s new football league.
Per league rules McMahon outlined Thursday, Manziel would be banned from the XFL along with any other player with a prior criminal record.
Manziel, 25, has dealt with authorities numerous times, for issues ranging from substance abuse to allegations of domestic violence. He last appeared in an NFL game in 2015.
Original story:Â Johnny Manziel might soon come to a football-entertainment venue near you.
The former Cleveland Browns quarterback reportedly is WWE chairman Vince McMahon’s No. 1 target among players for a rebooted version of the Xtreme Football League, Dinner With The King podcast’s Glen Moore reported Thursday on Twitter.
McMahon on Thursday is expected to announce either the formation of a new football league or perhaps the return of the XFL, the ill-fated league he founded that only played one season in 2001 before ceasing operations. McMahon’s new football league reportedly will begin play in 2000.
The XFL rumors have been a hot topic in the sports world, and Manziel only fueled those rumors by appearing to link himself with McMahon’s potential upstart league in a pair of tweets.
Manziel, 25, has been out of professional football since the Cleveland Browns released him in March 2016. The Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats own his contractual rights, and he’s eligible to play in the CFL beginning this season.
However, if the former Heisman Trophy winner decides to return to the U.S. to play football in two years’ time, McMahon might be waiting for him with his and arms — and wallet — wide open.
