DALLAS — A Dallas County grand jury voted to indict former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel after an allegation that he assaulted his ex-girlfriend.

The indictment will be made public Tuesday.

Manziel faces a charge of misdemeanor assault. He is accused of kidnapping, hitting and threatening to kill ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley earlier this year.

Dallas police referred a Class A misdemeanor domestic violence assault case to a grand jury instead of making an arrest. Typically, Dallas County’s grand juries hear only felony cases.

One of Manziel’s attorneys, Bob Hinton, said Monday that the 2012 Heisman trophy winner will plead not guilty. Hinton said Manziel remains in Los Angeles.

Once the indictment is official, Hinton said, the attorneys will appear before a judge.

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“Judge, set the bond at whatever you think is right,” Hinton said he plans to say. “We will produce Johnny and we will pay the bond.

“We are not asking for any special treatment.”

Hinton said he could not yet address how Manziel is doing or if he is seeking treatment as he has before for alcohol use.

“Johnny is coming around. He is awfully young and he is thrust into the maturation process,” Hinton said. “It is unfortunate that these circumstances have presented themselves.”

Dallas police referred a Class A misdemeanor domestic violence assault case to a grand jury instead of making an arrest. Typically, Dallas County’s grand juries hear only felony cases.

The maximum punishment for a Class A misdemeanor assault is a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

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The grand jury voted Thursday to indict Manziel, but in Dallas County, indictments are official after two working days. In Dallas County, unlike smaller counties, four grand juries meet multiple times each week to hear cases. Indictments require paperwork and staffing before they are formally issued.

It was not immediately clear why the indictment was delayed a day, although grand jury referrals are somewhat different from other cases heard by the grand jury.

It was almost certain Manziel was going to be indicted after a “no bill” — a notice that he was not indicted — was not issued on Thursday.

The NFL’s own investigation into the incident is ongoing, a league spokesman said Monday.

If Manziel signs with a new team, he would be subject to all aspects of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

If the NFL rules that Manziel violated the policy, he would be suspended without pay for at least six games for a first offense and would face a lifetime ban from the NFL for a second offense.

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Manziel doesn’t have to be found guilty in court to face punishment by the league.

It’s been a bad month for Manziel.

He was dropped by his agent and lost all his endorsement deals.

Manziel released a statement last week, saying he still hopes to play pro football this year and that he needed to resolve his problems. Manziel’s NFL future is uncertain. He was cut by the Browns in March after two tumultuous seasons marked by inconsistent play and off-the-field headlines about partying and drinking. He had a stint in rehab.

“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,” Manziel said in a statement to USA Today. “I also continue to be thankful to those who really know me and support me.”

He’s been dropped by two agents. The first, Erik Burkhardt, cut ties with Manziel after last season. Burkhardt’s successor, Drew Rosenhaus, dropped the quarterback last week after giving him five days to seek help.

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Manziel, 23, is accused of abusing Crowley in a fight over another woman Jan. 29 at Hotel ZaZa in Dallas. Crowley and Manziel broke up in December after dating for two years and living together in Cleveland. She said she saw him that night in January when he invited her to his hotel room to talk.

Crowley, also 23, told police that Manziel slapped her on the head and ruptured her left eardrum, causing her to lose her hearing.

She said Manziel hit her, dragged her by the hair, forced her into a car and drove her to Fort Worth, where she lives.

Dallas police opened an investigation on Feb. 5, a day after Crowley alleged in a Fort Worth police report that Manziel had hit her at the hotel.

Investigators interviewed witnesses at the hotel and reviewed hotel video.

Dallas and Fort Worth police eventually combined the cases into one. Dallas had jurisdiction because Crowley alleged that the assault began there.


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