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ESPN's Rick Reilly weighs in...supports Johnny!

Why is America sweating Johnny Manziel? I know two superstar collegians who took way[/I]more cash for autographs in school. Millions, in fact. They got paid for slapping their names on clothes, movies, even toothbrushes. They made huge money for appearances, speeches and photo sessions while in college. And the NCAA never even harrumphed at them.

Their names?
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The Olsen twins.
Just like Manziel, they were talented and famous. Just like Manziel, they went to college. Unlike Manziel, they were allowed to participate in the free-market system. They had three lines of clothing, makeup deals and even did a movie, "New York Minute," while attending New York University.
Not Johnny Manziel. If the reigning Heisman Trophy winner really did sell an hour's worth of his signature, he'll probably be suspended from the Texas A&M football team.
See, the NCAA has very clear rules: Everybody and their gastroenterologists can make money off Johnny Manziel except Manziel himself. The pursuit of wealth is available to every person enrolled at Texas A&M except student-athletes. The whiz pianist, the science prodigy, even the hopeful sportswriter. When I was at the University of Colorado, I worked 40 hours a week at the town newspaper, writing. Nobody threatened to throw me out of school.
Look at the unnecessary hell that's rained on college football in the wake of this scandal, in which Manziel may have violated NCAA rules for signing memorabilia for a man named Drew Tieman, who's been busted twice for drugs. Turns out, Manziel may have signed his name more than 4,000 times in one month, according to ESPN's "Outside the Lines." And ESPN reporter Joe Schad had two sources tell him that Manziel signed 300 autographs for $7,500 in January.
But so what? It's his name, isn't it? Do we really live in a world where you can't do what you want with your own name[/I] ?
Not long ago, an outfit called Heritage Auctions got $7,760 for a jersey Manziel wore when he beat Alabama last season, and a pair of cleats he wore in 2011. One jersey and one pair of cleats made more than that first entire alleged autograph session. How did Heritage get this stuff? They won't say. Why isn't Manziel getting a cut of his own[/I] stuff? Good question.
"It's a joke," Manziel's father, Paul, told reporters in March. "They're all trying to make a dollar."
And if the NCAA is investigating Manziel for these incidents, how can they not look into South Carolina stud defensive end Jadeveon Clowney? The autograph authentication firm of PSA/DNA says they've validated "many, many" Clowney signatures this offseason, according to its president, Joe Orlando. "There were at least two lots of over 300 consecutive-number authentications of Mr. Clowney's signature," Orlando says.
Did he get paid for them?[/I]
"I have no idea," Orlando says.
How often does somebody sign 300 autographs in a row and not get paid?[/I]
"It has happened, for charity, but it's rare," Orlando says. "Less than 1 percent of the time."
And if it's not for charity, what is it, usually?[/I]
"It's almost always a paid business arrangement."
South Carolina officials say they've investigated these unusually large lots of consecutive Clowney autographs and decided there was no wrongdoing.
Again, so what? Clowney is not a player South Carolina is trying to recruit. It's not booster money. It's not illegal. In fact, it's not only perfectly legal, it's a great way to do business. South Carolina should know. It just held its annual Fan Day, where fans swarmed Clowney and his teammates to get autographs. Schools do it because it builds business, increases ticket sales and even donations. They just don't let their student-athletes in on the game.


[+] Enlarge
Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesJadaveon Clowney can't profit from his name, but the NCAA can.

Student-chemists, yes. Student-athletes, no.
Even a simple and smart idea -- like letting players get what they can for their autograph, their likeness, their appearance, and then have that money go into a trust fund for the day they graduate -- has been shot down by the NCAA.
Why doesn't the NCAA want players cashing in on their talent? Because they're doing it.
As noted by ESPN's Jay Bilas last week, all you had to do was go to the NCAA's online shopping website, type in "Johnny Manziel," and an image of his jersey would pop up, despite the NCAA's caterwauling that players are not exploited at the NCAA register.
Busted.
So busted, in fact, that the day after the Bilas bombshell, the NCAA shut down the shopping site. Doesn't matter. It's too late. This is the smoking gun that Ed O'Bannon has been hoping for in his federal anti-trust lawsuit against the NCAA. So even though the NCAA won't do the right thing, hopefully judges soon will.
But until that day, madness prevails in college football. Louisville and Georgia will not allow autographs at football fan day events. Expect more schools to follow suit. Nice. So a 7-year-old kid who used to be able to come on the field, meet his hero, get an autograph and keep it in his favorite secret box for the rest of his life gets stiffed, on the off-chance that he might sell it for a bag of Skittles.
And what will all of this autograph-banning do? It will make it all worse.
"Now you're limiting the amount of signatures out there," Orlando points out, "which means the supply is down. If the demand continues, you have low supply, high demand. The price is going to go up and so is the fervor to get these autographs. And now you've set up an environment for people to fake the signatures."
Well, why not? The whole system is fake.
 
So Chile or some guy named Olando says that clowney signed 300 items "in a row". How in the world would chile or some insider know that? Maybe they have a video of this hotel room signing. Maybe someone they know at ESPN has seen this video. If so please get the word to the NCAA and ESPN today. Please do not waste their time nor anyone else's time with "well it could have happen. why doesn't the NCAA investigate something that could have happen?"

By the way most fans understand why the NCAA has rules against money being transferred to student athletics. Those that do not understand are shallow thinkers or maybe do not think at all. Universities are the NCAA. Members from these Un iversities come together to create rules that all Universities and their student athletics agree to abide by. The NCAA is not those bad people over there but are in fact Universities including A&M that you claim to support.




This post was edited on 8/21 8:11 AM by nwflcock




This post was edited on 8/21 8:13 AM by nwflcock



This post was edited on 8/21 8:25 AM by nwflcock


This post was edited on 8/21 8:35 AM by nwflcock

This post was edited on 8/21 9:21 AM by nwflcock
 
nwflcock...last week Rovell, the guy that broke the "story" on Manziel possibly accepting money for autographs, tweeted to a fellow sports journalists when asked what proof he had of Manziel accepting money for said autographs (?) and Rovell replied, "All brokers pay" ...well, if he believes what he said, then why didn't he go after Clowney and these others that have mass amounts of SIGNED memorabilia on EBAY?

Bottom line is that neither Rovell nor Schad have produced one single shred of evidence that Johnny was compensated for autographs. NOT ONE. NADA. ZILCH! They have as much evidence on Johnny to provide their readership, fans and NCAA as they have on Clowney and others....which is NONE! NADA! ZILCH!

THAT...is irresponsible and shoddy reporting. A couple of HACKS!
 
Do you think the NCAA would go after Manziel if all there was was a statement by Rovell that "All brokers pay" ? You and everbody else knows the answer to that question. Texas A&M is responsible for abiding by NCAA rules as is all members of the NCAA. That includes the responsibility that their student athletes abide by the NCAA rules which are their rules as members of the NCAA. There apparently was enough information available that Texas A&M has hired a law firm to investigate this pay for siging case.

Do you understand why member schools have rules against money being transferred to student athletes? I believe the reason for having these rules are obvious.

By the way saying that all brokers pay is saying no more than that all brokers receive pay for their wares. The report that I read was more than all brokers pay but that Manziel was given money for signing items and that an ESPN writer was shown a video of the signings. Again A&M would not have hired a law firm if all there was was a statement by any person stating that "all brokers pay".

If he and his business manager did nothing wrong thenTexas A&M's law firm will find nothing so what is your worry?

By the way what business is his business manager managing?

Also I hope there were no rules broken but if there were then sit all players that have broken these rules. All

This post was edited on 8/21 11:50 AM by nwflcock
 
Originally posted by nwflcock:

Do you think the NCAA would go after Manziel if all there was was a statement by Rovell that "All brokers pay" ? You and everbody else knows the answer to that question. Texas A&M is responsible for abiding by NCAA rules as is all members of the NCAA. That includes the responsibility that their student athletes abide by the NCAA rules which are their rules as members of the NCAA. There apparently was enough information available that Texas A&M has hired a law firm to investigate this pay for siging case.

Do you understand why member schools have rules against money being transferred to student athletes? I believe the reason for having these rules are obvious.

By the way saying that all brokers pay is saying no more than that all brokers receive pay for their wares. The report that I read was more than all brokers pay but that Manziel was given money for signing items and that an ESPN writer was shown a video of the signings. Again A&M would not have hired a law firm if all there was was a statement by any person stating that "all brokers pay".

If he and his business manager did nothing wrong thenTexas A&M's law firm will find nothing so what is your worry?

By the way what business is his business manager managing?

Also I hope there were no rules broken but if there were then sit all players that have broken these rules. All

This post was edited on 8/21 11:50 AM by nwflcock
First off, I don't believe the NCAA is "going after Manziel"...A&M and it's Compliance Dept. as well as the law firm is conducting this "investigation"...the NCAA will decide AFTER A&M concludes it's investigation if they will accept findings/non-findings.

Second...you ask me what is my worry? I am not worried...not in the least. Rovell/Schad and ESPN have shot all of their "bullets" ...if they had more, you can bet they would have shot those as well, before another media outlet found it and reported before Rovell/Schad/ESPN. Even Rovell has stated that brokers aren't willing to come forward and doubts they will ever talk or cooperate with NCAA. Bottom line is that neither Rovell nor Schad have provided any proof of any wrongdoing by Manziel or Texas A&M. Texas A&M, however, does have proof that it and the Compliance Department has gone to great lengths to provide Johnny and his family with all the "do's and don'ts" with regards to autographs and brokers. Documented PROOF. A&M is NOT under investigation whatsoever...only Johnny. So not sure why you continue to make inferences such as "Texas A&M is responsible for abiding by NCAA rules..." ...Texas A&M knows very well what it is responsible for...and FYI, as it's obvious you don't know this...that Texas A&M's Compliance Department was rated #1...THE BEST...compliance department by the NCAA! So yeah...I'm pretty sure Texas A&M knows it's responsibilities.
 
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