Scott Eklund/Associated Press

Were you on the strip in Las Vegas on Saturday night?



Did you see anything suspicious? Say, a guy who looked like Johnny Manziel if Johnny Manziel pasted on a mustache and stole the hair off Mark Davis' head to use as a wig?

I ask all this because it's the picture being painted by ESPN Las Vegas radio personality Mitch Moss, who reports the Cleveland Browns quarterback was in Las Vegas on Saturday night through early Sunday morning gambling, dining and partying in disguise.

The ESPN host says that Manziel was in town wearing a blond wig, a fake mustache, sunglasses and a hoodie. Moss also alleges that Manziel was telling people his name was Billy:

We all know Vegas stories can get extremely crazy involving celebrities. This is going to sound wild, and maybe hard to believe, but this is what we're hearing regarding Johnny Manziel. Our sources tell us Manziel was at a popular night club on the strip Saturday night. The QB entered wearing a blonde wig, a fake mustache, glasses, and a hoodie. Manziel introduced himself as "Billy." He was there into the 3am hour and when it came time to pay the bill, he asked to have it comped because he didn't bring cash and also didn't want to put it on his card. However, the sources tell us he ended up paying with his card and signing the check. By 3am he appeared to be enjoying the party scene that Vegas is known to offer. The club had Manziel and his crew placed at a VIP table close to the DJ booth. The table is located in one of the darkest areas of the club. Manziel dined at the club's restaurant before going to the nightclub. He was seated at the most private area in the restaurant, which is still out in the open. And yes, he ate with his wig and glasses on.

Moss' claims provide some texture to the initial report published Sunday by USA Today's Scott Boeck.

According to Boeck's sources, Manziel had been seen by multiple people at Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood Casino on Saturday night before the Browns' season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The report mentioned Manziel's being served at a bar in the casino but did not reference his attire or appearance.

So a few things.

Moss credits unnamed sources for his information. So take that into account. If true, however, this disguise angle would explain some of the oddities about Boeck's initial report.

Boeck's report of Manziel's hanging out in Vegas seemed shaky due to the lack of documentation. Even with casinos banning photography around the tables, it's unlikely a guy like Johnny Football could go out on the town in Las Vegas on a Saturday night without a single tweet, picture or Instagram post from people who see him in public.

But so far, the only image of the quarterback supposedly taken that night came from the man himself—a picture of Manziel with his pet puppy captioned "#SaturdayNights."

Manziel posted to Instagram on Saturday night with a geotag pinned on Avon, Ohio. On its face, this would give Manziel a bulletproof alibi against these Vegas allegations. But Instagram allows users to tag pictures with any location their hearts desire, meaning Manziel could've technically been anywhere when he posted the image.

So this leaves us with two possibilities. Manziel really was at home, and all these Vegas reports are the sleep-deprived fever dreams of bored members of the media. Or Manziel pulled the social media version of a Ferris Bueller and attached a mannequin to his doorknob and caught a red-eye to the Vegas on Saturday. He did miss an appointment with the team Sunday morning, which could mean nothing or a lot of things.

I can't tell you which scenario happened. All I know is the third season of Serial will involve forensic wig testing and the testimony of bottle waitresses who might have seen Manziel but the sparklers were very bright.







Dan is on Twitter. The cellphone pings will tell the tale.

