Cleveland Browns blast Johnny Manziel in statement

With the NFL in the midst of reviewing an alleged incident between Johnny Manziel and his ex-girlfriend over the weekend in Texas, the Cleveland Browns released a statement condemning the quarterback's continued inappropriate conduct.

The 23-year-old has repeatedly run into trouble off the field since Cleveland selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

In the most recent incident, police were called early on Saturday to an apartment in Fort Worth, where Colleen Crowley told the authorities that she had been involved in a disturbance with Manziel in Dallas and possibly other locations.

She did not know where Manziel was and expressed concern about him, prompting a search by police that eventually included use of a department helicopter.

"We've been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field," Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said.

"Johnny's continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his team-mates and the reputation of our organisation.

"His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time."

The Browns' statement appears to be a precursor to Manziel being cut by the organisation, which would be unlikely to happen until after the league year opens on March 9 because of salary cap implications.