Report: Grand jury indicts Manziel on assault charge

Johnny Manziel has been indicted by a Dallas County grand jury on a charge of misdemeanor assault with bodily injury, KRLD-AM's L.P. Phillips reported Sunday, citing sources in the district attorney's office.

A misdemeanor assault charge carries a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Manziel is accused of striking then-girlfriend Colleen Crowley several times during a January incident that she told police left her pleading with a hotel valet to protect her. In an affidavit obtained by a local NBC affiliate in February, Crowley claimed to have suffered a ruptured eardrum.

The former Heisman Trophy winner was not arrested at the time, but a judge granted Crowley a protective order that limits Manziel's contact with her until 2018 and prevents him from owning a firearm.

There has also been an undisclosed out-of-court settlement between Manziel and Crowley, sources told KRLD.

The Cleveland Browns released Manziel in March. Last week, he was dropped by his agent Drew Rosenhaus and lost a sponsorship deal with Nike.

In addition to his legal troubles, several associates have urged him to seek help for substance abuse, since he's continued to drink and party despite an offseason rehab stint in 2015.

Manziel recently released a statement acknowledging "issues."

"'I'm hoping to take care of the issues in front of me right now so I can focus on what I have to do if I want to play in 2016," he wrote. "I also continue to be thankful to those who really know me and support me."