NCAA comes down hard on Johnny Manziel. Must sit out first half of Texas A&M-Rice game.
BREAKING: Johnny Manziel will be suspended for first half against Rice, source tells @McMurphyESPN.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 28, 2013
Umm. yeah. The NCAA slapped his wrist so lightly here I don't even think he felt the contact.
Go NCAA.
August 28th, 2013 at 6:41 PM ^
Since Nick Saban has become head coach at Alabama, only 1 team has ever beat Alabama twice in a row. And that was LSU in 2010 and 2011.
Bama has had the whole offseason to prep for this, and they've got a bye week too. I wouldn't be betting on A&M
August 28th, 2013 at 3:48 PM ^
He'll probably score 5 TDs in the 2nd half....then sign autographs.
August 28th, 2013 at 3:49 PM ^
If I was A&M I'd appeal. If they have zero evidence and admit he didn't take money why is he suspended at all? The penalty is a joke in itself
August 28th, 2013 at 3:53 PM ^
...especially when you consider that Devier Posey may well have been suspended for five games in 2011 for being overpaid a total of $3.07 by his employer.
/brain implodes
EDIT: He's not suspended for the autograph payments?
August 28th, 2013 at 3:51 PM ^
I'm sure for this the NCAA broke out the comfy chair and made him stay in it for 6 hours whle they shouted "Confess!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSe38dzJYkY
August 28th, 2013 at 4:27 PM ^
Cardinal Fang, bring out the soft cushions!
August 28th, 2013 at 3:51 PM ^
How long before a number of schools decide to band together and seperate themselves from the NCAA? Their decisions are laughable at best and completey ass backwards at worst. That goes along with the straight hypocrisy that they hide behind.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:05 PM ^
Why would the schools have any interest in leaving the NCAA when there's no possibility or threat of sanction? Hell, a new world order may end up being more restrictive.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:29 PM ^
The schools are the NCAA. If they don't like it, they'll just reform it. The problem is, they like it just fine, but they'd like you to stop looking at that man behind the curtain.
August 28th, 2013 at 3:52 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
So instead of sitting out the second half of the Rice game after they're up by 30, he has to sit out the first half. Wow, they showed him!
August 28th, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
I think I read it somewhere on Mgoblog yesterday, but the real question is how many autographs did Manziel sign for the NCAA during their 6 hour meeting with him. What a joke the NCAA is.
August 28th, 2013 at 3:56 PM ^
The NCAA is a joke... and needs to grow a pair! They even acknowledge he did nothing wrong but then still suspend him for a half a game? Stupid.
August 28th, 2013 at 3:57 PM ^
The school suspended him, not the NCAA. In theory to punish him for bad judgment in who he interacted with and to discourage others from doing the same. Doesn't mean the NCAA isn't hypocritical or inconsistent, but it's not a direct comparison to discipline the NCAA has issued in other circumstances.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:09 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 4:19 PM ^
and by your logic no sanction is handed down from the NCAA. Schools normally submit to the NCAA what the punishment should be for their infractions. The NCAA either accepts them or doesnt and then imposed their own.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:34 PM ^
Actually that's not my logic at all. What happened here it appears is that the NCAA decided that there was not a sufficient basis (or maybe any basis) to continue an enforcement action to the point where they would impose any sanctions. That decision may have been based on A&M deciding to suspend him for a half, or it may have been the same decision even if A&M had decided to take no disciplinary action. I strongly suspect that A&M decided for its own purposes that some kind of suspension was warranted, but since those purposes were self-interested, they made it a meaningless suspension.
Schools may submit proposed punishment or they may just impose punishment, either way hoping that it suffices or at a minimum convinces the NCAA that the school takes the issue seriously (versus USC who basically gave the NCAA the finger and therefore got banged for it).
August 28th, 2013 at 3:57 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 3:57 PM ^
Signed, Miami Hurricanes
August 28th, 2013 at 4:00 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 4:01 PM ^
The NCAA did their job in this case... No need to criticize if they allegedly couldn't find anything. For those who are wondering why he is still suspended, he is in fact suspended for not stopping the sale of autographs under bylaw 12.5.2.2... So I feel as if this punishment is more of a nothing to see here although ESPN will analyze the heck out of it.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:21 PM ^
He has no reason to stop the sale of his autograph because he clearly was going to make money of it. And even if he wasnt or didnt as the NCAA believes, what standing does Manziel have over the sale of items he doesn't own?
August 28th, 2013 at 4:31 PM ^
I don't know... Ask the NCAA for clarification, but this goes back to name relevancy and likelihood... Here is NBCSports' interpretation of it:
"While on its face the rule creates a potentially unreasonable burden for a kid who may not have the resources or the ability to send out cease-and-desist letters or file lawsuits, Manziel knew or should have known when repeatedly signing his name for one person that the one person for whom Manziel was signing simply didn’t want to have the world’s biggest personal collection of Johnny Football memorabilia.
And so while 12.5.2.2 is more than a little vague and broad when applied generally, it could be the thing that allows the NCAA to specifically nail Manziel."
August 28th, 2013 at 4:03 PM ^
NCAA: Hello, Johnny. Good to see you. Please have a seat.
Manziel: [Takes seat in a chair placed in front of a panel of committe members]
NCAA: So it has come to our attention that you signed several thousand items over the past year including during your Heisman-winning season. Congratulations on that. accomplishement by the way.
Manziel: Uhh...th...thank you.
NCAA: There are rumors that you accepted money for said autographed items, an action which would strictly violate our policy for student athletes. If you did accept money during this time, you would be retroactively declared ineligible to play football and your Heisman trophy will likely be stripped from you along with any other awards for the 2012 football season.
Manziel: [Nervously gulps]
NCAA: SO...Did you accept ANY money for autographed items?
Manziel: Nope.
NCAA: ...Okay good enough for us. Wanna play some NCAA 14 on our XBOX?
August 28th, 2013 at 4:49 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 4:10 PM ^
The next school that allows a volleyball player to use university water to wash their car is going to get the death penalty.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:11 PM ^
At this point, there may as well be a draft where schools offer contracts.
SEC, and some ACC schools (ahem, Miami, UNC) give money anyways and sh*t doesn't happen. May as well let schools with gigantic endowments starts putting some of that money to use.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:15 PM ^
I can't help but think that suspensions from offseason infractions like this -- or even suspensions for a few games generated from offseason actitivies -- provide additional motivation for big programs to continue to schedule weak competition in the non-conference schedule.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:17 PM ^
me get this straight. Using your fame to profit for yourself gets you the hammer. Using your fame for someone else to profit gets you a finger wag and you have to stand in the corner for 30 minutes. Sounds about right for the NCAA.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:25 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 4:26 PM ^
but I don't understand the outrage.
Where was the evidence??
All you had was an ESPN reporter (Darrell Rovell) on a personal crusade against A&M who said he's talked to dealers. These dealers won't go on record and some have a criminal past. This is not the first time Rovell has been duped in his investigations.
If there was solid evidence, I'd be all for suspending Manziel. But without anything credible, he's innocent and should play (in fact, sitting him for the 1st half is stupid)
August 28th, 2013 at 4:34 PM ^
There is very good reason that they won't go on the record for it. If a dealer does and Johnny Football misses time, then the dealer is financially liable for Text A&Ms lost profits (which would be a lot of money. I went more in depth/sourced it above. I'm not saying that he definitely did or did not do it, but it seems like the (possibly) unintentional "snitches get stiches" law would prevent any sort of hard evidence from coming out.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:42 PM ^
I know what Texas law you're referring to. It's not applicable to dealers not in the state. The alleged dealers are all on the east coast and are not subject to litigation.
August 28th, 2013 at 7:46 PM ^
I haven't read the law and I have no clue about Texas' long arm statute but that might change the game.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:57 PM ^
This link describes a recording - heard by ESPN - in which Manziel tells a broker that he'll end their dealings if the broker tells anyone of a given signing session and in which Maziel also describes the cover story that he'll use to explain how it is that so many of his autographs are on the market.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:58 PM ^
But it sure would be nice if we could see that tape that ESPN refused to purchase.
Maybe this is getting into tinfoil hat conspiracy land, but this whole thing has been driven by ESPN. It's been their lead story (i.e., ratings machine) and has turned into a case where they report on their own report.
August 28th, 2013 at 5:15 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 5:20 PM ^
A lot of journalism departments (if you want give ESPN credit for having one) have policies against buying recordings and the like. That's one of the things that makes Deadspin different - they will buy those things, for good or for bad...Also, I usually think ESPN pumps up the SEC more than is warranted simply by the play of SEC teams, so I have a hard time imagining them doing something underhanded to hit an SEC squad.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:52 PM ^
anything that causes the NCAA to come crashing down is good news to me. Great job, NCAA. Keep on hastening your demise. Wha
t is the difference between Terrel and Manziel? Could it be the color of skin?
August 28th, 2013 at 4:56 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 5:15 PM ^
August 29th, 2013 at 12:01 AM ^
Sometimes projectile pamphlets cause papercuts. I hope Johnny can still throw the ball against NorthWest Technical School in the second half. (Sorry, I forgot who they were playing week one so I took a guess.) Band-Aids can really mess up the rotation of a football. I'm taking NTS and the points this week.
August 28th, 2013 at 5:01 PM ^
This ruling is a nice example of the state of our country.
August 29th, 2013 at 7:25 AM ^
is a nice example of the state of our country.
August 28th, 2013 at 5:09 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 5:54 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 6:25 PM ^
August 28th, 2013 at 5:11 PM ^
Just heard on College Football live that if A&M hadnt agreed to the half game suspension, the NCAA would have continued the investigation into the season and Manziel would have had to sit out while the investigation was ongoing. So basically, this deal was done to save the BAMA/TAMU marquee game on September 14th