BREAKING: Johnny Manziel Investigation

[LAWeaver]

Honestly, I'm sick of Johnny Manziels excuse of 'remember: I'm still a 20 year old college kid.' who cares!? You never hear a sex offender say to the jury 'remember: I'm just an old man' or a kid accused of bullying say 'remember: I'm just a kid'. It seems as if every time SportsCenter goes to talk about Manziel, they have him at the SEC Media Day podium saying nearly half a dozen times that same excuse. It's pathetic. I hate to say it, but he's gonna end up like Tebow only with a little more hype and possible sanctions.

[rams80]

I didn't say they were pillars of respectability. Far from it.

Only that they had more integrity than this infant.

I'll agree when Manziel also starts flirting with perjury.

[Gothamite]

He's lied enough outright, including to cops. Only a lack of opportunity has prevented him from doing it under oath.

[rams80]

He's lied enough outright, including to cops. Only a lack of opportunity has prevented him from doing it under oath.

He's had opportunity.

The real issue is that whatever integrity the NCAA had no longer exists. The NCAA's sole raison d'etre nowadays is to act as a shield to protect the debatable non-profit status of university athletic departments, thus defrauding the citizenry of desperately needed tax dollars. Based on recent behavior i would suggest that their enforcement wing is powered by a random number generator except for the fact it is so chaotic that to do so would be an insult to actual random number generators. The NCAA has hijacked bankruptcy proceedings in order to get testimony for their sanctions investigations, subverting the U.S. legal process. And oh yeah, we also have an organization that blatantly profits off of specific athletes by name despite claiming not to do so in the O'Bannon case. Emmert et. al. are hypocritical scumbags who have far more in common with the capitalists who almost sank the global economy 5 years ago than with honorable defenders of "amateurism".

[Needschat]

Manzel is not a "20-year-old" college student. He's a stereotypical Texas oil money football player, someone that's never heard "No!" from his parents, from coaches, from "Klingons". He's a person that does not need the money he's allegedly receiving from autographs, yet will do it, because he's nothing more than a spoiled rich kid!

There are legitimate student-athletes in the NCAA that could, that SHOULD, benefit from allowing them to cash in their small celebrity and fame, yet the NCAA, created in the wake of President Theodore Roosevelt's threat to abolish football, still believes in "amateurism."

[DG_ThenNowForever]

If his signature has value, who should benefit from that value?

[Sport]

If his signature has value, who should benefit from that value?

Exactly. The fact that he comes from a wealthy family, which I didn't know until this thread, is irrelevant.

He's made his scribbles worth something. Why does he have to wait until his third year out of high school to profit off of it?

BTW, I have never purchased a piece of autographed memoribilia and I likely never will. Ultimate dorktacular expression of sports dorkism.

[Chicageaux]

Manzel is not a "20-year-old" college student. He's a stereotypical Texas oil money football player, someone that's never heard "No!" from his parents, from coaches, from "Klingons". He's a person that does not need the money he's allegedly receiving from autographs, yet will do it, because he's nothing more than a spoiled rich kid!

There are legitimate student-athletes in the NCAA that could, that SHOULD, benefit from allowing them to cash in their small celebrity and fame, yet the NCAA, created in the wake of President Theodore Roosevelt's threat to abolish football, still believes in "amateurism."

It doesn't matter where he comes from, he was the first freshman to win the Heisman. Like it or not, his name has monetary value.

[crashcarson15]

If he wants to get paid to play football at this age, why not go play in the AFL or the CFL? He's eligible to play in either league, no?

Otherwise, he can follow the same rules as every other college athlete while playing at Texas A&M. In the meantime, he can enjoy his free tuition, tutoring, and if he so chooses, a free college degree.

[Needschat]

Manzel is not a "20-year-old" college student. He's a stereotypical Texas oil money football player, someone that's never heard "No!" from his parents, from coaches, from "Klingons". He's a person that does not need the money he's allegedly receiving from autographs, yet will do it, because he's nothing more than a spoiled rich kid!

There are legitimate student-athletes in the NCAA that could, that SHOULD, benefit from allowing them to cash in their small celebrity and fame, yet the NCAA, created in the wake of President Theodore Roosevelt's threat to abolish football, still believes in "amateurism."

It doesn't matter where he comes from, he was the first freshman to win the Heisman. Like it or not, his name has monetary value.

He's STILL acting like a spoiled rich kid, blaming EVERYONE else or his age for his transgressions. He's under 21 and yet able to drink?

[Chicageaux]

Most college kids under the age of 21 drink. While I don't agree with the choices he's made or how he's gone about it, that's not what this investigation is about.

[Evil G]

Choosing a side is like choosing one of lesser evils.

[Needschat]

Most college kids under the age of 21 drink. While I don't agree with the choices he's made or how he's gone about it, that's not what this investigation is about.

It seems that Texas A&M are more worried about his eligibility than they are him as a student. If they cared for Manziel the student, they'd be investigating his drinking more than his freaking signing of memorabilia.

[Gothamite]

If he wants to get paid to play football at this age, why not go play in the AFL or the CFL? He's eligible to play in either league, no?

Otherwise, he can follow the same rules as every other college athlete while playing at Texas A&M. In the meantime, he can enjoy his free tuition, tutoring, and if he so chooses, a free college degree.

Exactly. He's already very well compensated, and if he finds that compensation insufficient he doesn't have to take it.

[dfwabel]

When he and his family* signed the NLI (National Letter of Intent), they knew what the document was and the terms/conditions.

The family signed the NLI in order to receive financial aid from Texas A&M. In turn, the scholarship and the right to play athletics had conditions to it and he has possibly broken them.

*- I am unaware that if his "assistant", Fitch knew about anything.

[Jimmy!]

...wait for the NFL to come calling.

Tell that to Jason White.

[The_Admiral]

Hey, this guy is even more of a douchebag Texan athlete than most douchebag Texan athletes! burn the witch! Go NCAA! DO AS YOU'RE TOLD, CHILD.

[McCall]

If he wants to get paid to play football at this age, why not go play in the AFL or the CFL? He's eligible to play in either league, no?

Otherwise, he can follow the same rules as every other college athlete while playing at Texas A&M. In the meantime, he can enjoy his free tuition, tutoring, and if he so chooses, a free college degree.

Exactly. He's already very well compensated, and if he finds that compensation insufficient he doesn't have to take it.

Finally some other voices of reason (and I rarely agree with crash).

No unions or paying players needed. They already get treated way better than any other students. Other than the free education that most students work up to 3 jobs to pay for themselves, they get the job exposure that most students only dream of. How many of us would've liked to have known where the nation thought/knew we'd be working after college? To have businesses all over the country watching and pining over the day we'd be able to come work for them. And know we'd be making millions of dollars right out of school.

People need to stop acting like these guys are victims of oppression or something.

[dfwabel]

If he wants to get paid to play football at this age, why not go play in the AFL or the CFL? He's eligible to play in either league, no?

Otherwise, he can follow the same rules as every other college athlete while playing at Texas A&M. In the meantime, he can enjoy his free tuition, tutoring, and if he so chooses, a free college degree.

Exactly. He's already very well compensated, and if he finds that compensation insufficient he doesn't have to take it.

Finally some other voices of reason (and I rarely agree with crash).

No unions or paying players needed. They already get treated way better than any other students. Other than the free education that most students work up to 3 jobs to pay for themselves, they get the job exposure that most students only dream of. How many of us would've liked to have known where the nation thought/knew we'd be working after college? To have businesses all over the country watching and pining over the day we'd be able to come work for them. And know we'd be making millions of dollars right out of school.

People need to stop acting like these guys are victims of oppression or something.

And those comments are whywe need to leave any "NCAA is Bad" out and just look at the potential bylaws which Manziel may have broken. If one is on a music scholarship, s/he could write a novel and profit from it; the NCAA player cannot . The "poorly paid" graduate assistants get to travel to the same places as the players and have also have jobs in the off-season through camps or even checking IDs at other recreation facilities or have the ability to just get paid for research. The undergraduate student athlete generates all the revenue but is prohibited to earn the same money as a full scholarship student getting another degree can.

As much as I do refute how the NCAA does its business, any debate on NCAA Bylaws/rules need to be a separate thread.

This thread should just be about the potential violation by Manziel.

By using, the "it's bad rule..." as an excuse to behavior is similar to use the George Zimmerman trail* to talk about Florida's "Stand Your Ground Law".

If any law/rule was broken, one will be penalized. We will find out and the rule/law may be changed in the future.

Lastly, the biggest public "crime" an athlete can ever have is arrogance and Manziel appears to be very arrogant and the arrogant athlete loses Q-rating.

[rams80]

If he wants to get paid to play football at this age, why not go play in the AFL or the CFL? He's eligible to play in either league, no?

Otherwise, he can follow the same rules as every other college athlete while playing at Texas A&M. In the meantime, he can enjoy his free tuition, tutoring, and if he so chooses, a free college degree.

For certain values of "free".

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Seriously though, grants in aid don't cover everything. Say you're an athlete and want to live off campus (yes I know the dorms can be free but they're general student dorms thanks to the NCAA doing away with dedicated athlete dorms in the 1990s). Well, you're S.O.L. unless you're a trust fund baby or have willing parents, because even a part time rent a job costs you your eligibility. There's a reason the big schools are making noises about being allowed to offer "full cost" scholarships.

EDIT-If you want another example, athletes are limited to one "training table" meal per day by NCAA regs. Anything else is going to be on your NCAA-strapped finances or GLORIOUS DORM FOOD THAT SLOWLY KILLS YOU LIKE CANCER AND *PTSD EPISODE FROM BEING FED BY SODEXO FOR FOUR YEARS GOES HERE*