Johnny Manziel Speaks About Hotel 'Brawl' -- Cleveland Browns Quarterback Defends Himself From 'Very Intoxicated' Fan

Cleveland Browns superstar backup quarterback, Johnny Manziel, has revealed the details behind the alleged "brawl" that he was involved in at an up-market building in Cleveland last weekend, saying he and his roommate were simply trying to defuse a tense situation before it escalated "at all costs".    

Speaking to reporters today at the Browns practice ahead of his team's game against the Buffalo Bills, Manziel explained that he had been out to dinner with his mother and roommate, and "As I was waiting for my elevator, I was approached by what has been made out to be a fan."

Manziel pointed out in the NFL.com video that "at this point of the night, this was a very intoxicated, very aggressive person that approached me in the lobby, putting his hands on me and kind of toying with me," adding that he was just trying to "mind my own business and get back to my room. This is essentially the front door to my home". 

That fan was allegedly Chris Gonos, who told clevescene.com that it escalated into a brawl, with someone in the group able to "smash Johnny right in the face".

Gonos, says Manziel, was trying to "come at me, being extremely aggressive," with Manziel saying that he and his roommate were simply trying "to coax him into getting into his elevator and going on about the night," but "the guy got very aggressive."

Luckily for Manziel, "security was able to get things under wraps, I'm very thankful for that as well," he said. Manziel then pointed out that he'd told his team as quickly as possible about the incident and was as transparent as possible with his coach and the Browns front office.   

Manziel also told reporters he wanted to avoid going into too much detail because "it all happened very quickly," reported ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. 

One thing Manziel didn't want to go into details about is whether he threw or took a punch. Said it all happened very quickly

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 28, 2014

He also said that Manziel's face "showed no signs of being 'smashed' as Gonos claims it was".   

#browns manziel's face showed no signs of having been "smashed, smashed," as Gonos claims it was.

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) November 28, 2014

As for the reports of Manziel's "entourage" being involved, he scoffed at the idea, saying, "There was no entourage, I live with one other person and my mother was upstairs. That's about as much entourage as you get, being with my mom.''

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot points out, "it's a vastly different story than the one provided by Sandusky, Ohio native Chris Gonos". 

Manziel also took the chance to defend his behavior, saying that "I feel since I've been here, my lifestyle has changed dramatically. "I'm usually in my home, not venturing out very much and I don't get a lot of time to go out and see much of Cleveland." 

Manziel also added that there's nothing more he loves than "when somebody comes up and talks to me about the history of the Browns or how passionate they are about this team," also saying that he treats all fans in a similar fashion "with a lot of respect."

As Deadspin reported, Gonos, the alleged fan in question, "was sentenced to two years of probation last April for being involved in a tax evasion case with his father and two brothers."

So far, the team is backing their man to the hilt, with Manziel not under any threat of discipline, unless the team discovers tape of the incident that doesn't jive with what Manziel described to them. 

Per @JayGlazer, Browns are waiting to see security tape of Manziel incident. As long as it matches what Manziel told him, no discipline.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 24, 2014

What do you think? Do you believe Johnny Manziel's version of events? Or is the fan who says he was attacked offering a more plausible description of what happened in Cleveland?