AP Photo/David J. PhillipTampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans lauded former college teammate Johnny Manziel for being candid about his mental health struggles in the past.
In the Netflix documentary Untold: Johnny Football, Manziel said he contemplated suicide after the Cleveland Browns released him in 2016. The former Texas A&M quarterback went so far as to purchase a gun, which he said "just clicked on me" when he pulled the trigger.
Evans, who played alongside Manziel on the Aggies in 2012 and 2013, said he was hearing the story for the first time like everyone else.
"I knew he was in a very dark place; I didn't know about that," he told ESPN's Jenna Laine. "I care about him, but, you know, I didn't know about his suicide attempt. That was news."
Evans added that "it was very noble of him to do what he did" in addressing the suicide attempt and his bipolar disorder diagnosis.
ESPN's Wright Thompson profiled Manziel in 2013 and detailed how the Heisman Trophy winner was adapting to the challenges of his newfound fame. His father, Paul, told Thompson he thought his son drank "to deal with the stress."
Manziel's substance abuse issues continued after he moved on the NFL. He briefly entered a treatment facility in 2015 and said in Untold he used cocaine and OxyContin after that season ended. The 30-year-old said his 2016 suicide attempt followed what he called a "$5 million bender."
Addressing the documentary, Manziel told USA Today's Scooby Axson he continues to get questions from fans about his life and football career. He saw Untold as a vehicle to provide the answers.
"Able to put a bow on the 'Johnny Football' side of things, to stop a lot of those questions that I get and be able to tell an amazing story and be able to move on with my life," he said. "I got an amazing opportunity with Netflix and untold to be able to do this. And it felt right."
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