Johnny Manziel speaks out about altercation with 'drunk and aggressive fan'

• Police were called to Manziel's Cleveland apartment complex after a report of a 'riot' involving 20 men and two security guards at 2.36 am Saturday
• Chris Gonos, the alleged victim in the incident, said the brawl began after he approached Manziel and asked if he could hug him
• Gonos was punched in the face and beaten by a man with the Browns quarterback and then his brother got involved
• Manziel said Friday that Gonos was 'intoxicated and aggressive'
• Denied being with an entourage by said his security intervened
• Did not say if he personally threw any punches

By Associated Press Reporter and Joel Christie for The Mailonline

Published: 19:28 EST, 28 November 2014 | Updated: 02:04 EST, 29 November 2014

No, he's not Johnny Footbrawl.

Johnny Manziel, 21, said he did everything he could to escape a 'very aggressive' fan before an altercation in the lobby of the Browns rookie quarterback's apartment building.

Speaking on Friday for the first time since last week's incident, Manziel said the man, identified in a police report as Chris Gonos, was 'a very intoxicated, very aggressive person that approached me in the lobby.'

Manziel said he went out dinner on Friday night with his mother and roommate and had returned to The 9, a downtown hotel where he has an apartment, when he was confronted by 'what has been made out to be a fan.'

Manziel did not name Gonos but said the man was 'putting his hands on me, kind of toying with me.'

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'It was an unfortunate situation': Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel addressed the fight he was allegedly involved in at his Cleveland apartment last Saturday for the first time on Friday (pictured)

The Cleveland Browns quarterback was involved in a fight during the early hours of Saturday morning after a member of his entourage attacked a fan for trying to hug the rookie quarterback

The popular former Heisman Trophy winner said he and his roommate tried to coax the man into another elevator and 'the guy got very aggressive' before security was able to intervene.

Manziel declined to provide any details about the skirmish, which police said took place at 2:30 a.m., and he would not say if he threw any punches.

The incident was initially reported as a 'riot' involving 20 men.

Manziel showed no visible markings from the altercation.

Manziel said he does not plan to press charges.

Gonos had told police he was struck and assaulted by 'Johnny Football and his entourage'.

Following the incident it emerged Gonos and some family members pleaded guilty to conspiracy to structure financial transactions to evade filing currency transaction reports in October 2013, relating to a family restaurant business, according to The Sandusky Register.

Manziel dismissed the idea that he's surrounded by people when he's out in public.

'There is no entourage, I live with one other person and my mother was upstairs,' the first-round draft pick said. 'That's about as much entourage as you get, being with my mom. '

Manziel said he has interactions with fans on a daily basis and typically enjoys them.

'I'm approached by fans every single day in Cleveland,' he said.

'There's nothing I love more than when somebody comes up and talks to me about the history of the Browns or how passionate they are about this team.

'I treat every fan the same, with a lot of respect, and I'm very thankful for them being the fans that they are. I don't think our league would be that without them.

'It was a very unfortunate situation, a situation that was tried to be averted at all costs and one that I was unfortunately not able to really get away from.'

Punched: Chris Gonos, left, the alleged victim in the incident, said the brawl began after he approached Manziel, right, and asked if he could hug him

Gonos told Cleveland.com that the brawl began when he noticed Manziel while waiting for an elevator.

Gonos said he approached Manziel and said: 'I'm the biggest Browns fan ever, I love you, I want to give you a hug.'

As Gonos stepped toward Manziel, he was punched in the face and beaten by another man with the Browns quarterback, leaving Gonos with a swollen lip and swollen right eye.

'One of his buddies like tackled me,' Gonos told the website. 'It was going down, a whole bunch of people started fighting. It ended pretty quick. I got a bruised hip and a bruised elbow and somebody hit me in the back of the head.'

Gonos said no-one was arrested but his brother 'tackled' Manziel and added, 'I guess Johnny sucker-punched him while the security guard was holding him. It should be all on video.

'I know somebody else in the group smashed Johnny right in the face. Smashed him.'

Manziel said he called Browns general manager Ray Farmer and coach Mike Pettine immediately after he awoke on Saturday to explain what happened.

'I'm very thankful for the Browns having my back in all this and supporting me in a situation that seemed to be a little blown out of proportion,' he said.

Farmer had said the team was concerned about the time the incident took place. Manziel said his lifestyle has changed 'dramatically' since he came to Cleveland.

Manziel, who has gained a reputation for making headlines for his off-the-field antics, has been relatively quiet since joining the Cleveland Browns after the NFL Draft in May

There was a lot made of his out-of-town partying during the offseason, but the 22-year-old understands he has a responsibility to the Browns.

'I know there's other guys around the league and other guys in this locker room that do the same thing and enjoy their time when they're out of the building,' he said, 'and I know that at night when I go to bed I need to make sure that I'm ready and capable of going to work the next day and doing my job to the duties that I have being in this building the next day.'

Manziel has only been on the field for a few plays this season as he backs up starter Brian Hoyer. Earlier this week, Pettine said the late-night incident had not affected Manziel's standing with the team or playing status.

Manziel opened his interview session by thanking local media members for 'not jumping out to any wild conclusions like some other people do.'