Johnny Manziel no longer under whatever that investigation was

I am glad Johnny Manziel is playing football this year because he is the living embodiment of Texas A&M’s insurgent assault on the SEC. Southeastern Conference newcomers aren’t supposed to do this. Missouri, who joined the conference along with A&M, adjusted to their new league and went 5-7 in the process. The last two programs to join the conference before A&M and Mizzou -- South Carolina and Arkansas -- also posted losing records in their first seasons. In fact, no team had posted a winning record in its first SEC season since the conference was founded in 1932.

What did A&M do in its first year? Win 10 games, beat the nation’s No. 1 team, pick up a Heisman Trophy, annihilate Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, and do it with an up-tempo offense led by a freshman who likes to party. It’s both the least and most SEC thing ever.

Be sure to check out OddsShark for all your wagering needs.

Alabama remains strong favorites, but it appears Vegas has a high opinion of this Manziel kid. Seems like they think he could go places.

Johnny Manziel was just issued a brief suspension for violating the NCAA bylaw forbidding a player from allowing “the use of his or her name or picture to advertise, recommend or promote directly the sale or use of a commercial product or service of any kind.” Can’t profit off your name or likeness, sir.

Naturally, as the keen-eyed Will Brinson noticed, Texas A&M announced the suspension with a post on their website with a photo of Manziel ... that is available for purchase:

The suspension has caused a considerable reaction on Twitter, especially within the current and ex-player community.

Bryant, of course, was suspended for much of his final season in Stillwater for failing to disclose an “interaction” with Sanders. He previously (and publicly) blasted the NCAA, and has said he would be angry if the NCAA failed to suspend Manziel.

Update: This is reportedly the conclusion to the Manziel autograph investigation:

That’s that. The suspension is reportedly for violating NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.1, which forbids a player from permitting “the use of his or her name or picture to advertise, recommend or promote directly the sale or use of a commercial product or service of any kind.” George Schroeder reports the violation is being termed “inadvertent.”

Fowler Toyota is in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners were flattened by Johnny Manziel in the Cotton Bowl.

Manziel met with NCAA investigators for six hours on Sunday, according to ESPN.com, and the next step is the NCAA’s recommendation on whether Manziel is allowed to suit up for the Aggies in their season opener against Rice. That recommendation is expected on Wednesday, per Sports Talk 610 in Houston, who cites a Texas A&M source.

The NCAA is primarily concerned with Manziel’s involvement with multiple autograph brokers who have claimed that Manziel signed more than 4,000 items in exchange for payment, which is a flagrant violation of the NCAA’s amateurism rules. According to Bruce Feldman at CBSSports.com, Manziel denied accepting those payments during the Sunday meeting.

Manziel continues to be the subject of some controversy surrounding autograph signings -- and may or may not be under NCAA investigation -- but at this point it appears the Heisman winner will start against Rice on Saturday.

The autograph saga began with an ESPN report alleging that Manziel had been paid to sign memorabilia. ESPN also reported that the NCAA was investigating the matter, though Manziel’s lawyer later refuted that claim, adding that the NCAA had made no formal allegations.

Halliburton’s report does not include any details on the Rovell correction referenced. However, in late 2011, Rovell notoriously published a report on a New York escort service harmed by the NBA lockout, a report that was based on email conversations with a high school kid pulling a prank. Rovell admitted he had been “duped” and apologized to his readers.

Sharp also attacked Florida-based memorabilia dealer Drew Tieman, who told ESPN that he paid Manziel a “five-figure signing fee” for hundreds of autographed items. Sharp again attacked ESPN for publishing the claims:

Multiple reports have emerged alleging Manziel accepted money from numerous autograph brokers. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner is at the center of investigation, and Peterson believes the rule itself is a problem.

Peterson hasn’t shied away from voicing his opinion on league rules. He was outspoken during the NFL’s CBA negotiations, comparing a player’s situation to “modern day slavery”. Peterson thinks that players should be able to receive payment because of the money universities make off college athletes.

From Christian Dennie at the law firm of Barlow, Garsek, and Simon, LLP:

It’s certainly odd that a state would legislate NCAA rules into civil code like this, but Texas is Texas. The timing of the law would seem to indicate this was a reaction to the misdeeds at SMU.

Via Clarence Hill of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram:

Bryant was a dark horse Heisman candidate as a junior wide receiver with Oklahoma State in 2009, coming off an 87-catch, 1,480-yard sophomore campaign. On Oct. 7, just four games into the season, Bryant was declared ineligible by the NCAA for failing to disclose an “interaction” with Deion Sanders. Bryant and Sanders had worked out and ate lunch together on at least one occasion during the offseason. When asked about the relationship by NCAA investigators, Bryant denied that he had met with Sanders. It was that falsehood that led to his indefinite suspension.

A Florida-based autograph broker named Kevin Freistat told ESPN that he organized the two sessions -- bringing the total number up to six for Manziel -- but there is still no evidence that the Heisman Trophy winner accepted any money in exchange for his signatures. With all of the alleged signing sessions, it’s estimated that Manziel signed roughly 4,400 items.

If it’s found that Manziel was compensated for his autograph, he could be ruled permanently ineligible to play for the Aggies. Some items sporting Manziel’s signature have made their way onto eBay, but it’s important to note that he is not the only current college football star whose name is floating around on merchandise in online auctions.

If Johnny Manziel’s lawyer is telling the truth, there is no active NCAA investigation into whether or not his client received cash to sign autographs -- and although there have been reports of an investigation, no official source has confirmed that the association is actually looking into the 2012 Heisman winner.

The news comes from a tiny snippet in an article by KVIA, a CBS affiliate in El Paso, about Jim Darnell, the Manziel family’s attorney. We knew that the family had retained the lawyer with experience in several NCAA cases -- who, by the way, is the most Texas man alive -- but what’s important here is a tidbit he casually dropped in a story about how he expects his client to be eligible to play Week 1 against Rice.

The Manziel family won’t publicly comment on the NCAA’s inquiry into the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, but told the AP in a statement that Darnell will represent him. Johnny Manziel is under investigation for allegedly receiving thousands of dollars in exchange for autographed memorabilia. The quarterback has denied the allegations.

Darnell’s previous experience in NCAA cases includes representing the Baylor basketball program when it was sanctioned in the early 2000s and former USC basketball coach Tim Floyd when he was facing scandal in 2009.

Days after receiving scorching criticism for profiting off player jersey sales thanks to Jay Bilas’ vigilance, NCAA president Mark Emmert announced that the NCAA will no longer be in the business of selling jerseys. Players, of course, cannot profit off their own names, as has been reinforced by this week’s Johnny Manziel scandal.

The online store, which carries the NCAA name and logo all over it, is apparently an aggregator that is actually copyrighted by another entity, so the amount of money that it made on sales from the site is quite low, in all likelihood. However, where that money went isn’t particularly important so long as it doesn’t end up in those players’ pockets (as the NCAA would have it).

Fitch has been a central figure in Manziel’s life for a while now, and as Thompson points out, there is plenty of photographic evidence of that. There’s much more to their relationship in the story, which paints the picture of a family wary of Fitch’s influence on their son.

Manziel is being investigated by the NCAA for possibly profiting off his signature, though no wrongdoing has been proven at this point. The initial allegation centered around an autograph session that took place in Miami the week of the BCS title game. Since that report, another broker came forward and said Manziel signed some things the night before Texas A&M’s game at Alabama, but no money was involved. A third claims he paid Manziel $7,500 for signing memorabilia.

The Johnny Manziel autograph scandal has already led to other schools taking precautions to make sure their student-athletes are safe from potential ineligibility. Paul Johnson thinks Georgia Tech is safe, though:

(Wait, he’s throwing in that picture. It can’t possibly be Tevin Washington.)

One Vegas sportsbook thinks that the hypothetical suspension of Johnny Manziel due to his autograph scandal would turn Texas A&M from one of the top title contenders to a team barely even in the mix for a BCS National Championship.

Sports betting analyst RJ Bell reports that the Las Vegas Hotel’s sportsbook would drop the Aggies -- who he says have received the most action to win the national title -- down to 100/1 shots to win the national title. They had opened at Bovada at 10/1, and before being dropped from boards were at 13/2 -- tied for second with Ohio State, and behind only Alabama. With the uncertainty surrounding Manziel, they’re at 18/1.

Some have wondered what motive autograph brokers would have to leak the information that Johnny Manziel took money from a broker in exchange for autographs, an allegation that if proven true could cost him his eligibility for the upcoming college football season. Now, a story from CBS Sports’ Bruce Feldman implies that some autograph dealers might hold a grudge against Manziel due to his family’s decision to trademark his nickname.

SB Nation has heard a similar story from a source with knowledge of the industry.

Naturally, this raised some eyebrows, but South Carolina has found nothing awry:

And Ohio State’s Braxton Miller has also been cleared, though it’s hard to tell who was asking anyway. Clemson’s also seen no issues with stars Sammy Watkins or Tajh Boyd.

We already knew that Texas A&M was handling the Johnny Manziel autograph scandal seriously, hiring the same lawyers Auburn hired to keep Cam Newton eligible at Auburn. Now we’re seeing other schools around college football reacting to make sure their stars don’t accidentally make the same missteps Manziel may or may not have made.

USC announced that like Texas A&M, they had also received an NCAA inquiry on autographs, this one about junior wide receiver Marqise Lee. The winner of last year’s Biletnikoff Award had also appeared in Miami to be honored at last year’s BCS National Championship Game, and signed autographs while there, but USC made it clear that they think he did so without believing they were meant to be sold:

The broker allegedly has video of Manziel signing 300 Texas A&M helmets, but did not capture the Heisman Trophy winner taking money or breaking any NCAA rules. Manziel also reportedly declined to make any personalized autographs, claiming that they would arouse suspicion.

This is not the most compelling set of evidence ever put forward. ESPN passed on purchasing it, but still went ahead and told the world about its contents, and there still doesn’t seem to be a paper trail. This one note does seem intriguing, however:

It all started when ESPN’s Jay Bilas tweeted this out:

It’s not just Manziel though. Here’s what happens when you type in “Clowney”:

Lightfoot, Franklin and White, a firm based in Birmingham, helped Auburn work through its NCAA troubles when it was discovered that Cam Newton’s father, Cecil, had asked Mississippi State for a large sum of money in exchange for his son’s services. The NCAA investigation ultimately found no wrongdoing on the parts of Auburn or Cam Newton.

The firm also worked with Michigan when the Wolverines football program faced a handful of major rules infractions in 2010.