Johnny Manziel's Lawyer Accidentally Texts AP Reporter Plans for Plea Deal, Concerns Over Piss Test

Johnny Manziel's lawyer accidentally texts AP, confirms he is seeking deal in assault case https://t.co/ImJaZZ1hs1 pic.twitter.com/aWSNCv00mi
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) June 24, 2016

Bob Hinton, Johnny Manziel's attorney for a domestic violence case stemming from a violent altercation with his then-girlfriend Colleen Crowley, mistakenly sent a lengthy text message to a reporter for the Associated Press, making public information he really wanted to keep private.

On Monday, Manziel reported that his car had been damaged in a hit-and-run and the AP reporter initially texted Hinton for a comment on the accident. Hinton then sent a lengthy, unrelated text in response, in which he revealed that he is attempting to strike a plea deal in the criminal case, but is concerned whether he'll be able to because of Manziel's substance abuse. "Heaven help us if one of the conditions is to pee in a bottle," he texted. That's a really depressing text message, for all involved.

Hinton also wrote that he had been emailed a "heads up" receipt "which purports to reflect" that Manziel made a purchase of $1,018.77 at a Gas Pipe store at 12:03 p.m. on Tuesday, less than a day after his crash. A manager at a Gas Pipe location not far from where Manziel's crash was reported declined to discuss whether he bought anything there. A sign in the store says ID is required for purchases above $200.

"I don't know if the receipt is legitimate or not," Hinton responded when asked about it by the AP. "I just know that it doesn't say Johnny's name on it anywhere that I can see. It's just that somebody in that store, I guess, circulated that to the other store managers and employees saying, 'Guess who was here today and spent this amount of money.' That's all I know."

Hinton thought he was texting an attorney who was working on the case with him and when he realized his error, he threatened to sue the AP if they published it, claiming attorney-client privilege.

This story is so very Johnny Manziel—even the people who are supposed to be helping him can't get out of their own way.