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‘Rock solid’ source puts Manziel at Hakkasan club

Photoshopped images of Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel in a blond wig and mustache flooded the Internet on Tuesday amid a frenzy over whether he was in Las Vegas over the weekend.

A Las Vegas ESPN affiliate reported Monday that Manziel wore the disguise and went by the alias "Billy" at an unnamed nightclub and restaurant on the Strip.

Mitch Moss, co-host of ESPN 1100's "Mitch & Pritch" show, on Tuesday identified Hakkasan at the MGM Grand as the place of the Manziel sighting.

Hakkasan representatives did not respond when asked to confirm the story. Manziel's agent isn't talking, either.

Meantime, photoshoppers were having a field day with images of Manziel. A "Billy Vegas" T-shirt was already on sale.

Moss told the Review-Journal his source was "rock solid.''

He announced the report on ESPN 1100's "Cofield & Company" afternoon show.

Manziel went missing on Sunday when he failed to appear at a scheduled meeting with a team doctor before the Browns' season finale against Pittsburgh.

That meeting was part of the league's concussion protocol. He had been ruled out of the game because of concussion symptoms.

Manziel had appeared at the Browns' team facility on Saturday. He was back with the team on Monday.

USA Today reported on Sunday that Manziel was in Las Vegas.

Moss said Manziel wore the disguise to dinner at the unnamed restaurant associated with the nightclub.

He partied past 3 a.m. "and when it came time to pay the bill, he asked to have it comped because he didn't bring cash and didn't want to put it on his card," Moss wrote on Facebook.

But he ended up paying with his card and signing the check, according to Moss.

"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," Moss continued.

The scene and heard

Sports Illustrated editor MJ Day has the MMA world buzzing after releasing an Instagram photo Tuesday that added fire to the rumors that fighter Ronda Rousey will be back in the magazine again, this time as a body-painted model. The teaser photo showed only the back of a model with painted buttocks. The former UFC champ appeared in the 2015 issue but not as a painted model. The stunning loss Holly Holm in November hasn't put a dent in her career. She's hosting "Saturday Night Live" on Jan. 23. ... Get-well wishes to actor-writer William Lucking, who played "Piney" Winston in 52 episodes of the FX hit series "Sons of Anarchy." Lucking, who is recovering from hip surgery complications, moved here three years ago with his wife, Sigrid Insull, a former Hollywood and Broadway costume designer. She recently became the first permanent jewelry artist at Centaur Art Galleries. She's designed custom necklaces for the likes of Cher, Catherine Deneuve and Olympia Dukakis.

On this day

Jan. 6, 1997: Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein is shot to death in his Las Vegas home, the victim of an apparent mob hit. He was a major figure in the Chicago mob's Vegas operations, reportedly running loan shark, insurance fraud and burglary rackets. The character Bernie Blue in "Casino" was based on him.

Jan. 7, 1830: Rafael Rivera, a scout on a team trying to blaze a trail for Mexican traders from Santa Fe to California, reports finding water holes, including an oasis with a freshwater spring. They call it Las Vegas, Spanish for "the meadows."

Sightings

Singer John Fogerty, arriving at The Venetian on Tuesday with 50 Harley-Davidson riders to promote his his eight-show residency, "Fortunate Son In Concert" which starts Friday ... Houston Rockets' star James Harden, trying his luck in a high limit area at the MGM Grand on Tuesday ...  Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction, dining at Alize (Palms) on Tuesday. … Five-time All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki of the Toronto Blue Jays, stopping in The Tangerine Cafe and Expresso Bar in Henderson on Monday for a jolt of double expresso. Las Vegas is his offseason home … "Sons of Anarchy" stars Charlie Hunnam and Chuck Zito, dining at Andiamo Italian Steakhouse at the D.

 

The punch line

"A study found that moderate consumption of red wine leads to higher test scores. So apparently, I spent New Year's Eve cramming for a final." — Conan O'Brien

— Norm Clarke's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more online at www.normclarke.com. On Twitter: @Norm_Clarke

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