Likeable as he might be, the Cleveland Browns are intent on making certain that Johnny Manziel doesn't become another Tim Tebow.
With many league execs still spooked by the media circus Tebow's three short NFL seasons sparked, SI.com reports the Browns have banned all national media from attending their upcoming rookie mini-camp where for the first time since the team made him the second quarterback taken and the No. 22 overall selection in this month's NFL draft Manziel will be front and center.
Sources tell the website it's all part of management's plan to keep a "tight grip" on the 21-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner, who just days before was publicly admonished by coaches to "know his role" as a backup quarterback when he reports for camp.
Meanwhile, ESPN president John Skipper is admitting his network's over-coverage of Tebow may be somewhat responsible for the backlash he now receives from some factions.
"We gave him a lot of attention," Skipper recently told reporters of the deeply Christian former Florida star. "I've said before, we probably overdid it. And that makes people sort of suspicious of him. It's not his fault. He is genuinely a very likable guy."
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The 26-year-old Tebow recently inked a deal with ESPN to serve as the face of the network's new SEC cable network, though he remains on record in asserting he would like another shot at playing in the NFL and is believed to have a clause in his ESPN contract that would allow him to walk should an NFL team come calling.
"I feel like I'm the best that I've ever been as a quarterback right now, and I hope I get the opportunity to show that," Tebow recently told reporters. "But who knows what the next few months will hold?"
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