Johnny Manziel says his split with his wife, Bre Tiesi, is "very sad" -- but he's trying his best to stay focused on his football career.
As we previously reported, Bre wiped Manziel from her social media pages and has publicly accused him of breaking their wedding vows ... a year after they were married.
Now, Manziel is breaking his silence on the split ... without getting into the gory details.
"This is all very, very personal and very sad," Manziel tells TMZ Sports ... "I appreciate everyone who has been so supportive of both of us and I would just ask that everyone respect our privacy at this difficult time."
"My hope is to put my head down and be allowed to focus on work and what is required of me on the football field."
Manziel is referring to his new job in the AAF ... where he's already created a few highlights as the quarterback of the Memphis Express.
Johnny is still focused on playing ball and getting back to the NFL ... and feels he's on the road to achieving that goal.