
Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, center with towel, sways with teammates during the school song following Saturday’s win over visiting Rice. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Johnny Football sure learned his lesson Saturday afternoon.
College football got schooled as well.
What doubts are there that Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel had some cash funneled to him – above table, under the table, snapped to him between someone else’s legs – for scribbling his name on a bunch of memorabilia in the months since his Heisman coronation?
And what harm was actually done – aside from sidestepping some archaic NCAA rule — by profiting from someone’s own piece of personalized artwork?
Smart 20-year-old college entrepreneur that he is – his Aggie bio lists him as a “sports management” major — what kind of incriminating paper trail did he leave?
None, as far as the sports’ clownish, contradictory governing body was concerned.
But for some other unexplained “inadvertent” violation Manziel apparently committed, Texas A&M (that’s short for Advertising and Marketing) was forced to start the first half of its season opener without his electrifying scrambling ability for the good of the team’s point total.
(Note: A lightning storm Thursday suspended South Carolina’s opener against North Carolina for more than an hour – or longer than Manzeil’s suspension).
Manziel (rhymes with “sell”) apparently signed off on the 30-minute punishment, watching the game with a towel wrapped around neck (perhaps to later autograph and auction off) rather than offer up any sort of legal appeal.
But then, what choice did the sophomoric sophomore have? His best move was to take the hand slap, expose the NCAA again for its farcical ways and draw more support for the plight of the exploited college athlete. Continue reading “It’s Out of the Question: Tee up Johnny Football again” »