Johnny Manziel apologizes, thanks Browns and fans for support

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Johnny Manziel was released from a rehab facility last week, and the Browns quarterback issued a statement Friday thanking fans and those close to him for their support during his time away.

"I would like to thank my family, friends, the Browns organization, my teammates, and Browns fans everywhere, for your patience, understanding, and support during my stay at Caron. The doctors and staff have been amazing and what I’ve learned in the last couple of months has been tremendous. I owe private apologies to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization and the fans that I let down. I take full responsibility for my actions and it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect. I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say. I also understand there’s a lot of curiosity about this but anyone who has a friend or family-member that’s been through things like this knows it’s an ongoing process. I’m going to continue to ask folks to try to respect my privacy as I determine to what degree I am comfortable talking about a subject which I consider very personal. Most of you have been considerate about that and I thank you for it. I look forward to seeing my teammates next week and focusing on football and my desire to be the best possible player, teammate, and man that I can be.”

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Cleveland's offseason workouts begin April 20, and reports indicate Manziel has work to do on and off the field. Browns captain Joe Thomas recently said Manziel lost the trust of the locker room last season.

Other teammates, like safety Donte Whitner, welcome Manziel's return. 

"I believe that he'll come in, he'll earn our trust back," Whitner said Tuesday. "He's that type of guy. He'll have to compete for his job, but I believe he'll be up for that challenge. We'll welcome him back with open arms.''

The Browns traded back into the first round last year to select the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M with the 22nd overall pick. His NFL debut came in an embarrassing 30-0 loss to Cincinnati before he was hurt a week later at Carolina. 

Cleveland in February signed quarterback Josh McCown to a three-year deal, and the veteran will compete with Manziel for the 2015 starting job. 

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Jordan Heck is a social media producer at Sporting News