Johnny Manziel wasn’t discouraged by his agonizing wait at the NFL Draft in Rockefeller Center — he partied like a winner at Avenue nightclub in Chelsea until the early hours of Friday with stars who included Drake.
After finally being picked by the Cleveland Browns, Johnny Football didn’t lose his swagger and was seen doing rum shots and swigging from a 6-liter Methuselah of Perrier-Jouët Champagne, all while surrounded by attractive women and sweaty suited sports agent types.
Manziel, still wearing his shirt and tie, was the center of attention at the party in the club’s mezzanine, where well-wishers included Drake, Birdman, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving and Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin.
One witness told us, “Manziel held court at a private booth, as girls flocked to his table. He looked like he was loving the attention. He did shots of Atlantico [rum] and flirted and danced with the girls before spraying Champagne over everybody. We hope Manziel continues to love the game as much as he’s obviously loving the fame.”
Despite the late night revelry, which ended around 3 a.m., a tired-looking Manziel still made it to Friday’s introductory news conference at the NFL football team’s facility in Berea, Ohio.
Downstairs at Avenue, New York Giant Victor Cruz gathered with their new pick, LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Also spotted were Meek Mill, Busta Rhymes, Future, A$AP Ferg, Plaxico Burress, Julez Santana and rapper Yo Gotti.
After the party, Cruz, Burress and Adrian Peterson were spotted at Artichoke Basille’s Pizza and Bar in the early hours of Friday.
Meanwhile, new Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles had a more reserved celebration over dinner at Willow Road in Chelsea with a group of 20, including Chicago Bears quarterback Jordan Palmer.
And earlier in the night, Michael Vick was among guests at Ainsworth, as ESPN’s Merril Hoge lead a panel and Q&A with NFL stars including Burress, the Eagles’ LeSean McCoy and the Giants’ Rueben Randle.