When we talk about the meteoric rise and the messy, public collapse of “Johnny Football,” the conversation usually drifts toward his stint with the Cleveland Browns or those legendary nights at Texas A&M. But for a lot of people, the name Johnny Manziel is inextricably linked to Colleen Crowley. It wasn't just a celebrity breakup. It was a legal firestorm, a series of harrowing police reports, and ultimately, the final nail in the coffin for Manziel’s NFL career.
Honestly, the details from that 2016 period are still pretty chilling to read. This wasn't just a case of "partying too hard" or "immaturity." We’re talking about an incident that involved a ruptured eardrum, a high-speed car ride, and a 23-year-old Heisman winner who seemed to be losing his grip on reality.
The Night in Dallas: A Timeline of the Break
The primary incident most people search for happened in January 2016. According to court documents and an affidavit filed by Crowley, the trouble started at the Hotel ZaZa in Dallas. Things got heated. Crowley stated that Manziel was acting "as if he were on some kind of drugs," though she later clarified he didn't seem drunk at that exact moment.
The situation escalated when they left the hotel. Crowley told police she begged a valet for help, saying, "Please don't let him take me. I'm scared for my life." The valet, apparently unsure of what to do, didn't intervene. Manziel then forced her into the car.
During the drive to Crowley's apartment, things went from bad to worse. She tried to jump out of the car while it was moving. Manziel allegedly grabbed her by the hair, threw her back in, and hit her with an open hand on her left ear. That strike was so hard it actually ruptured her eardrum—an injury her lawyer, Kathy Kinser, later confirmed caused temporary hearing loss.
When they finally got to her apartment, Crowley ended up grabbing a knife from her kitchen to defend herself. Manziel fled on foot before the police arrived.
Johnny Manziel Colleen Crowley: The Legal Fallout
By April 2016, a Dallas County grand jury indicted Manziel on a Class A misdemeanor assault charge. It carried a potential year in jail. For a while, it looked like "Johnny Football" might actually see the inside of a cell.
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But as is common in high-profile cases, a deal was struck. In late 2016, Manziel entered into a "conditional dismissal agreement." Basically, if he stayed out of trouble for a year and completed specific requirements, the charges would vanish. Those requirements weren't exactly light:
- Completion of a court-approved anger management course.
- Attendance at a domestic violence victim impact panel.
- Full participation in the NFL’s substance abuse program.
- A strict "no contact" order regarding Colleen Crowley.
In November 2017, the Dallas County DA’s office confirmed that Manziel had checked all the boxes. The case was officially dismissed. While he escaped jail time, the reputational damage was done. The Browns had already cut him in March 2016, and the rest of the league wasn't exactly lining up to sign a player with an active domestic violence indictment.
Where is Colleen Crowley Now?
One of the most frequent questions is whether Colleen Crowley is still in the public eye. After the settlement and the court case, she largely stepped back from the "famous-for-being-famous" lifestyle.
Crowley, who was a student at TCU during the height of the drama, eventually moved on to a career in real estate and professional services. By 2025 and 2026, she had established herself quite successfully. It's important to distinguish her from other "Colleen Crowleys" you might find in a quick search—there is a prominent real estate agent in Massachusetts with the same name, but our Colleen (the one from the Manziel era) has largely kept her private life under wraps, occasionally appearing in social circles in Texas and New York.
She hasn't done a "tell-all" book or a reality show circuit. For the most part, she seems content to let that chapter of her life stay in the past.
Manziel's 2026 Reality: A Different Kind of "Comeback"
As for Johnny, he’s spent the last decade trying to redefine himself. After failed attempts in the CFL, the AAF, and Fan Controlled Football, he finally admitted in the 2023 Netflix documentary Untold: Johnny Football that his football career is over.
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In 2025 and 2026, Manziel has leaned into a "sober-curious" and "mental health-focused" persona. He’s been vocal about his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which he first went public with in 2018.
Recently, he appeared on season 4 of Fox's Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. It’s a bit of a cliché for fallen stars to go on reality TV to "prove" they’ve changed, but Manziel has used the platform to talk candidly about the "ego death" he experienced after losing the NFL. He lives in Scottsdale now, plays a lot of golf, and owns a bar in College Station called "Johnny Manziel’s Money Bar"—a nod to the "Money Manziel" persona that both made and broke him.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often think the domestic violence incident was a one-time "blow up." In reality, there was a documented history.
In October 2015, months before the Dallas incident, police in Avon, Ohio, pulled the couple over. Witnesses saw them arguing in a car on I-90. Crowley had an abrasion on her arm, and she told officers Manziel had pushed her head against a window. No charges were filed then because both admitted to drinking earlier in the day but weren't deemed intoxicated enough for an arrest, and Crowley didn't want to press charges at the time.
It was a pattern, not a fluke.
Why This Story Still Matters
The saga of Johnny Manziel and Colleen Crowley is a case study in how the NFL—and the public—handled domestic violence during a transitional era. It happened right on the heels of the Ray Rice scandal, meaning the league was under intense pressure to stop sweeping these things under the rug.
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For Manziel, it wasn't just the "partying" that ended his career. It was the specific, violent nature of the allegations that made him "radioactive" to NFL owners.
Actionable Takeaways & Next Steps:
If you or someone you know is dealing with a situation similar to what was described in the 2016 police reports, there are resources that don't involve the "celebrity circus."
- Documentation is Key: In the Crowley case, her affidavit and the medical record of her ruptured eardrum were the only reasons the case moved forward when Manziel’s team tried to dismiss it as a "private matter."
- Protective Orders: Crowley successfully obtained a two-year protective order. This is a civil tool that exists independently of criminal charges and can be a vital first step for safety.
- National Resources: The National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-7233) remains the standard for immediate, anonymous help.
The story of Johnny and Colleen is a reminder that even the most "glamorous" high-profile relationships can hide a lot of pain behind the Instagram filters.
Next Steps for Research:
- Review the 2016 Dallas County court transcripts for a deeper look at the conditional dismissal terms.
- Watch the Untold: Johnny Football documentary on Netflix for Manziel’s retrospective view on his mental health during 2016.
- Look into the "Texas Family Violence" statutes to understand how Class A misdemeanors are handled today compared to 2016.