ESPN Mag: Johnny Football article.

[Pheidippides]

Look at the schedule that is one of the biggest games they have. The non-conference schedule is a joke with Rice, Sam Houston St. UTEP, and SMU. Arkansas is waaaaaaaay down, Auburn is waaaaaaaaaaay down, and Vandy is Vandy.

The 5 biggest games are Bama, Ole Miss, LSU, Mizzou and Miss. St not exactly murderers row of the SEC.

By this I am guessing you mean Mizzou, Ole Miss and Miss St are not scary. I agree. But any team that can play and beat both LSU and Bama in any year has been through the ringer.

I work with scads of aTm fans, of course, and they have been eerily silent after a full year of finally rubbing it in UT's faces.

[CJF]

I don't believe Manziel did it. I mean that he probably signed the autographs, but didn't get any money for them. Why would he need to? His father is JR Ewing oil rich. He's never needed money in his life. He probably signed the merchandise and gave them to people who profitted from them.

The NCAA crowing about the huge value of the autographs have put Manziel in a no-win situation. The merchandise is worth thousands because he is famous. If he gets taken down, the stuff will be worth nothing. And then the NCAA won't have a case. Is this ironic?

I bet you're wrong.

[Omaha 680]

I want to know why Manziel has a personal assistant.

Because the dude is trying to get in on the ground floor of Johnny's enterouge. Those things are like pyramid schemes so you have to credit him for trying to avoid being too far down the downline.

[Coach McGuirk]

what a train wreck this guy is and way to watch dog your star freaking player aTm.

[Art Vandelay]

I really hope this kid can play this year. Not that I'm rooting for him ("shut the hell up" auntie) or ATM (rich kids from Texas, are crazy about football, and are a-holes? Who knew?), but the thought of how SEC fans will treat him on the road this year, will be must see TV.

[Paperback Writer]

The value of Manziel is clear in the memorabilia and appearance market: Independent merchandiser Aggieland Outfitters recently auctioned off six helmets signed by Manziel and Texas A&M's other Heisman Trophy winner, John David Crow, for $81,000. Texas A&M's booster organization, the 12th Man Foundation, sold a table for six, where Manziel and Crow will sit at the team's Kickoff Dinner later this month, for $20,000.

The school has committed to renovating Kyle Field, which will push seating capacity to 102,500 by the time it is completed in 2015. Texas A&M officials have said that donors, who make annual contributions of $80,000 to $100,000, have purchased all but two of the 144 suites in the stadium.

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...ing-autographs


aTm fans are crazy.

Also from the article:

In the school's first year in the SEC last season, Manziel led the Aggies to an 11-2 record and a top-five finish in the AP poll for the first time since 1956.

IMO, Aggie fans are simply overly optimistic. New coach, Freshman Heisman Trophy winner returning for at least a couple of more seasons, etc. It's been many years since Texas A&M football has experienced this kind of success.

Also, the $$$ going into the Aggie football program with Kyle Field stadium expansion needs to be put in context. Remember, this is "little brother". Also, College Station is usually not where elite, rich Texas kids go to school.

Hard for me to believe that Manziel would be stupid enough to accept any benefits for autograph signing and that there wasn't greater guidance/oversight by aTm officials. Maybe both aTM and Manziel were not ready for this type of success.

[Uncle Ted]

Also, the $$$ going into the Aggie football program with Kyle Field stadium expansion needs to be put in context. Remember, this is "little brother". Also, College Station is usually not where elite, rich Texas kids go to school.

It seems "little brother" has grown up and the elite, rich Texas kids have another place to go. Do they like sipping tea down at College Station as well?

[Surfah]

suspended or not suspended he is going to flame out this year either way.

I don't think so. Only because Manziel's speed and athleticism will carry him.

[dabrockster]

aTm's lawfirm they got is: Lightfoot, Franklin and White. Same lawfirm Auburn/Newton used..



Welcome to the SEC.

[cougjunkie]

And it is official Manziel was paid $7500 for his autograph. That will end his career at aTm.

[Uncle Ted]

And it is official Manziel was paid $7500 for his autograph. That will end his career at aTm.

An East Coast autograph broker told ESPN on Tuesday that Johnny Manziel was paid $7,500 for signing approximately 300 mini- and full-sized helmets on Jan. 11-12 while he was attending the Walter Camp Football Foundation event.


The broker played two cell phone videos for ESPN showing Manziel signing white Texas A&M helmets and footballs laid out on a bed in a hotel room. The video does not show Manziel accepting any money.

The broker said the room was at The Omni in New Haven, Conn., during the Camp event. He said the signing took place at three different times on Jan. 11-12, totaling about an hour.


The broker and his partner originally requested money to release the videos for use on ESPN, which ESPN declined to pay. The broker did allow ESPN's Joe Schad to view the videos. Later, the broker said he had decided not to sell the videos.

[...]

At one point, ESPN heard a broker ask Manziel if he would take additional cash to sign with special inscriptions, but Manziel declined, indicating he had done that before and it led to questions. The video does not show Manziel accepting cash, which the broker alleges happened three times. The broker told ESPN that Manziel said he wanted money for new rims for his vehicle.

[...]

The broker said he does not intend to cooperate with the ongoing NCAA investigation involving Manziel and autographs, originally reported Sunday by "Outside the Lines."

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9544137/broker-says-johnny-manziel-took-7500-autographing-helmets

I am not sure we have seen the end of Johnny Football.

[Blueintheface]

I'm not speaking to the merits of paying or not paying amateur athletes with this comment but...what kind of a dipshit does he have to be? He comes from money and has a payday waiting for him. What was $7,500 to him?

The evidence of the brain damage caused by football will be measured in these types of reports rather than those made by doctors.

[Moliere]

My Aggie loving staff just asked for tomorrow off. Interesting timing.

[Paperback Writer]

The integrity of an autograph broker versus the wisdom of a 20 year-old player. It's a wash in my book. Not saying Manziel is clean since there's not another explanation for him signing hundreds of autographs in a motel room unless he's one altruistic young man and he thought he was donating his autographs to charity.

[Moliere]

What an idiot. If he gets suspended and leaves school I wonder how aTm will deal with the fact he was there for one year, won the Heisman, then turned into an idiot and left. That would surely be tough to mentally process from a fan standpoint.