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Jets' Marshall: Manziel was a better player, teammate when he was sober

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has once again been relegated to bench duty after video surfaced of him partying at a club in Texas during the team's bye week.

It's the latest in a string of setbacks for the Browns' 2014 first-round pick, and has New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall concerned.

"Recovery, addiction, and mental illness is serious," Marshall said Tuesday on Showtime's "Inside the NFL," per NJ.com. "So we don't know his diagnosis. But the guy, he went to rehab. So if he is an alcoholic, and this came up, it's a problem."

Fellow panelist Boomer Esiason took a different stance than Marshall. Here's how their back-and-forth went:

Esiason: "He's 24 years old (actually, about to turn 23). Is he supposed to spend Friday night at church?"

Marshall: "We're talking about addiction, though."

Esiason: "I understand."

Marshall: "If he's an alcoholic, and he's doing this, this is problematic. This is a big issue. When he was sober, he was definitely a better teammate, and a better player. So that's the player that the ownership wants."

Esiason: "I think we're all overreacting right now. That's how I feel about it. Let him play."

Manziel spent 10 weeks in rehab during the offseason for an undisclosed substance abuse problem, and appeared to be making strides after a rough rookie season. But after this latest incident - which came less than a week after the Browns named him their starter for the rest of the season - his future in Cleveland is looking a lot more murky.

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