Johnny Manziel to make first CFL start for Montreal Alouettes

Lorenzo Reyes | USA TODAY

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The fans’ calls for Johnny Manziel were answered.

One week after he heard chants of “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny” and “We want Johnny” in a loss that dropped the Montreal Alouettes to 1-5 on the season, head coach Mike Sherman confirmed that Manziel will start Friday against his former team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.

The team announced the decision Tuesday on Twitter.

"We didn't trade for Johnny to have him sit on the bench, so obviously, Johnny's come over here to get reps and become the best player he can become, and we stated that process today," Sherman said Monday, according to CBC Sports. "You probably all figured it out yourself, but when you have two players you wait till game time to make that announcement.

"It doesn't make sense to do it any sooner."

In Monday’s practice, Manziel received a substantial amount of first-string reps.

Manziel, who was traded from the Tiger-Cats to the Alouettes on July 23, didn’t play in Montreal’s 44-23 loss Thursday night against the Edmonton Eskimos. Though Manziel remained on the bench, chants from the home fans in attendance rankled starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who completed 15 of 28 passes for 217 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception, along with a team-high 72 rushing yards and one rushing score.

"Yes, it hurt me to hear that,” Alouettes quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. told La Presse, via a TSN translation. “I have nothing more to say or to give to the fans of Montreal. Never again. Their behavior was very disrespectful. It was not like I was playing badly. I do not want them to ask me for anything, not even a small piece of equipment."

Manziel will be playing his first regular season snaps in professional football since Week 16 of the 2015 NFL season with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns selected Manziel with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft, but he flamed out of the NFL after just two seasons, following a series of off-field incidents.

"I do not care what the situation is,” Adams continued. “It was a lack of respect and it affected me. I tried anyways to make plays on the field. But that's fine. In the future, I'll treat the fans as they treated me. That's all. "

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.