Texas A&M Comes Down On Johnny Football

By now, I am sure you have heard, if you are at all interested in the topic, that Texas A&M, and by extension, I suppose, the NCAA, has come down hard on Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel for his alleged transgressions (he was accused of accepting payments, actual cash money, for selling his autograph on pictures, jerseys, helmets and such memorabilia).

Manziel, of course, has denied the allegations, but that cut no ice with the A&M administration, who has suspended their QB for the first half of the first game of the year. Yep, you read that right, the first half of the first game, which happens to be against cupcake Rice University this Saturday.  What would have been the penalty had the Aggies been opening against, say, Alabama or Georgia?  I'm thinking he would have had to stay in the locker room while the National Anthem was being played.

The best part of University's reasoning was that Manziel was being punished for "trading in on his name and fame".  This is from the University that is no doubt selling plenty of "Manziel" replica jerseys in the campus book stores.  

As for the NCAA, they are so upset about this, I am sure that they are looking for some poor schmuck who plays for Eastern Kentucky or Praireview A&M who allowed a stranger to buy him a Big Mac so they can put that school on probation.  Reminds me of the line that has been attributed to Jerry Tarkanian - "The NCAA was so mad at UCLA for their rules violations that they gave Cleveland State two additional years probation."

A few weeks back I mentioned that Johnny Manziel himself was on my "watch list" to receive a Grandstander H.A. Citation.  Now, Texas A&M and the entire NCAA are on that same watch list.

Talk about something reeking of hypocrisy.

Narcissism, Thy Names are A-Rod and Johnny Football

I would highly recommend that you read this week's edition of Sports Illustrated for two stories.

The first is the cover story on the soon to be banished Alex Rodriguez.  If there is any doubt in your mind as to why MLB is going after A-Rod with such fervor, then read this story.  Talk about a guy who had it all, threw it away, got a second chance, threw it away again, and STILL doesn't get it.  As the writer S.L. Price puts it, how can a guy with such superior talent and baseball smarts be so...dumb. 

The second story concerns Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, aka "Johnny Football".  In the space of a few short months, Manziel has evolved from being an exciting football player, and a refreshing story to a near train wreck.  You know the stories...speeding tickets, underage drinking, getting thrown out of the Mannings' Quarterback camp, being seen at the NBA Finals, and so on and on.  He has come this close to being awarded an H.A. Citation by The Grandstander, but one feature of this story is making me hesitant to do so, and that is the details of how Texas A&M is reaping a financial bonanza by selling all sorts of Manziel jerseys and t-shirts, caps, photos etc.  Manziel, of course, gets not a penny of this loot, so NCAA hypocrisy allows me to give Johnny Football a break in not awarding him an H.A Citation.  He is, however, on the "H.A. Watch List".

Oh, and one more thing.  In none of these stories, not the SI story this week nor in all of the others that have surrounded Manziel this off season, is any mention at all made of him actually, you know, attending classes at A&M.  I know this brands me as being hopelessly naive, but can't they at least pretend that he is a student-athlete?  At least until he declares for the NFL at the end of the season? I mean...