Johnny Manziel to make first court appearance for domestic violence charge
— -- Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel is scheduled to appear in front of a judge for the first time in relation to a misdemeanor charge stemming from a domestic violence complaint by his former girlfriend.
Manziel will appear before Judge Roberto Canas in Dallas County Criminal Court for a bond hearing at 10 a.m. ET Thursday. He is not expected to be arraigned, nor is he expected to enter a plea.
Manziel's attorney Bob Hinton said Manziel was booked in and booked out at the Highland Park jail in Texas at about 3:25 p.m. CT Wednesday and was released on $1,500 bond.
Canas told ESPN's John Barr on Wednesday that Thursday's court appearance is to briefly explain the conditions of the bond to Manziel.
Manziel faces a charge of misdemeanor assault related to family violence, which carries up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. He reported voluntarily; his attorney Jim Darnell released a statement the day charges were announced saying he believed Manziel would be acquitted.
Colleen Crowley, Manziel's ex-girlfriend, alleged in a statement filed seeking a protection order that Manziel hit her and dragged her into a car against her will during a night out on Jan. 30. The statement said Crowley was hit so hard she ruptured her eardrum. Crowley's medical records were provided to police.
The two-year protection order was granted and signed by Manziel.
The NFL will look into the situation. Manziel could be disciplined under the league's personal conduct and substance abuse policies.
The charge against Manziel was the most serious incident in a turbulent offseason for the quarterback.
That offseason started when he finished the Cleveland Browns season in the NFL's concussion protocol but was seen in Las Vegas the night before and day of the team's season finale. The Browns released him in March.
He since has been in numerous social media photos around the country. He has lost an endorsement from Nike and been dropped by two agents as well as LRMR. the marketing arm of LeBron James' agency.
A rental agent in West Hollywood, California, alleged Manziel rented a house in March and held two nights of wild parties that prompted calls to police from neighbors.
On the night of the draft, Manziel was photographed watching TV in a bar. He responded angrily to that photograph on Twitter the next night, saying he has been doing the same things he always has done.
Manziel has said he will work to return to the NFL in 2016, but no team has shown interest in signing him.
Information from ESPN's Pat McManamon and Mark Schwarz contributed to this report.
