Evans: 'Noble' for Manziel to open up about mental health struggles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans praised Johnny Manziel after the former Cleveland Browns quarterback opened up about his mental health struggles.

"I thought it was very noble of him to do what he did, 'cause it takes heart to, like, admit a lot of that stuff," Evans said, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine.

In Netflix's "Untold: Johnny Football," Manziel revealed that he attempted suicide after the Browns cut him in 2016. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and refused to enter rehab. He added that he began self-sabotaging, eventually going on a "$5-million bender" before attempting suicide with a gun.

Evans said he was aware that Manziel - his former teammate at Texas A&M - had been addressing his mental health. However, the veteran pass-catcher didn't know the degree of those struggles.

"I knew he was in a very dark place; I didn't know about that," Evans said of Manziel. "I care about him, but, you know, I didn't know about his suicide attempt. That was news."

Manziel and Evans are both in the Texas A&M Hall of Fame. They played together on the Aggies for two seasons before being drafted in 2014. Manziel joined the Browns as the 22nd pick that year, while the Buccaneers selected Evans seventh overall.

"He's a super-talented guy," Evans said of Manziel. "I mean, obviously his time, it came and gone, gone real fast, and that's hard for people to deal with. Especially, he's like the first of his kind - a rockstar (college) quarterback who's hanging with all celebrities. That's like the first of his kind, so he was in a tough spot early on."