Opinion: Johnny Manziel might be more trouble than he's worth for AAF

It's no surprise Johnny Manziel’s sudden availability was cause for great celebration around the AAF.

Johnny Football would be the ultimate addition for the upstart league. He’s a big name with even bigger baggage, the fallen star looking for redemption. And, truthfully, his skill set is probably better suited for the new league than the Canadian Football League.

Before anybody whips out a contract and a pen, however, be warned: You don’t know who you’re getting. Will it be Johnny Manziel, who last summer spoke earnestly of prioritizing his mental health and the costly lessons he’d learned from when he didn’t? Or will it be Johnny Football, whose boozed-up escapades and immaturity sent him crashing out of the NFL two years after he was a first-round pick?

MORE:Manziel offered workout by AAF following ban from CFL

It’s impossible to know right now, because nobody is saying. But anyone seriously considering signing Manziel had better find out -- preferably before he takes the AAF up on its offer of a tryout.  

“If talent-wise this is close, the negative of him is that there is drama with him and you are trying to win games and build a team,” Alliance of American Football League majority owner Tom Dundon told USA TODAY Sports.

“The positive is that he brings in fans and attention.”

In fairness to Manziel, it’s not clear why he and the CFL parted ways. The CFL wouldn’t elaborate Wednesday, saying only he had “contravened the agreement which made him ineligible to play in the league.” Manziel’s agent did not respond to repeated messages from USA TODAY Sports and Manziel’s only comment was a vaguely worded Tweet on Wednesday that said his time in Canada had “reestablished my love for the game of football and the work that goes into it” and that he’d be exploring his options in the United States.  

But given that Manziel told USA TODAY Sports last year  the agreement included weekly therapy appointments, mandatory doctor visits and monthly Lithium tests (Manziel takes the drug to treat his bipolar disorder), it doesn’t look good. And given that the CFL effectively banned Manziel from the entire league, forcing the Montreal Alouettes to cut him and prohibiting all other teams from signing him, it really doesn’t look good.

If Manziel isn’t taking care of his mental health or he’s no longer sober, the last thing he needs is to be thrust into a very large, very bright spotlight. Which he most certainly would be.

Though the AAF debuted to blockbuster ratings and has continued to do well, questions remain about its long-term viability. Adding Manziel would certainly help, sending interest soaring for the rest of the season. Or however long it is he plays.

The only thing more irresistible to the American public than a good redemption story is a dumpster fire – how else to explain the staying power of the Kardashians? – and Manziel offers the possibility of both. Would he miss practices and meetings because he’d been out too late partying, as he did with the Cleveland Browns? Might he up his antics by actually missing a game? Is he still partial to plastic pool toys?

Or would he be on his best behavior, advocating for mental health awareness while showing he still has the talent that made him a star at Texas A&M? What an end to the season that would be if Manziel could get his team to the championship game, so impressing some NFL owner that he at least gets a tryout.

Plus, Manziel’s rights belong to San Antonio, the closest thing the Tyler, Texas, native and Heisman Trophy winner at A&M has to a hometown team in the AAF. But, really, any team that signs him would become the AAF's most-popular team.

Certainly it's most watched.  

“There won’t be any pressure by me to do anything in any way, shape or form,” Dundon said. 

Good. Because if Manziel is back to his old ways off the field, he won't do the AAF any good on the field. 

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour