Shame on you Texas A&M!
Your quarterback “Johnny Football” Manziel, won the Heisman trophy last year. The first to do that as a Freshman. Congratulations to him. He was electrifying, and it was well deserved. He had off the field troubles with the law prior to last season and he’s done it again this off-season.
To a certain extent, I’ll let these sorts of things slide. As we’ve been told numerous times over the summer (primarily during the SEC Media Days) he’s “only 20 years old.” I was a dumb college kid once. But part of winning the Heisman, is being in the spotlight, so these things will be magnified and examined.
One of the things that came to light this off-season, is that Johnny signed 4500 pieces of memorabilia for brokers. Uncited sources claimed that he was paid for these signings. This is obviously a violation of the amateurism rules of the NCAA. Even still, these were signed for brokers, who were bound to sell them for profit. Yet another violation of the rules of the NCAA, “not allowing other to use your likeness to turn a profit should be restricted whenever possible”. (That is of course unless it’s the NCAA or the University that is making the profit, but that is another discussion. Let’s stay on point here).
Manziel met with the NCAA for over 5 hours of questioning on Sunday August 25th. Reports were, that he denied accepting money for these signings. He’s been questioned by the Chancellors of the University, and I’m assuming the coaching staff of the football team. I would assume the same answer was given to them as well. So, we’re supposed to accept the fact that he sat for hours at a time with these brokers and signed memorabilia because he’s a nice guy?? Not likely. If he’s met with these brokers, he has to know, that they are going to sell this merchandise and make a profit from it. So, rather than stopping this process, he’s aiding in that process.
So we know there has been some violation. But there is question about a greater violation. The NCAA is notoriously uneven in these punishments and their handling of these situations. The University of Miami has been waiting for YEARS to find out their punishment for their Shapiro related violations. Heck, they suspended Dez Bryant for an entire year for having dinner with Deion Sanders (which is not a violation) but because he lied about it! So we know we can’t rely on a consistent punishment from the NCAA.
Which brings me to Texas A&M. Texas A&M is a “Senior Military College” (SMC). An SMC is recognized by the government and offer military ROTC programs to the students. There are only six of these in the United States. These are not the traditional service academies. I attended one of the Senior Military Colleges when I was a young man. I’m a proud graduate of Virginia Tech.
When you attend these schools, as a cadet or not, you’re subject to a very strict Honor Code. Every “Blue Book” exam you take, you sign your school’s Honor Code, and violation of the Honor Code can lead to expulsion from the school. The Texas A&M Aggies, have a very simple, memorable and fairly famous one:
“An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.”
Seems fairly straight forward. Also, at an SMC, there’s a strong sense of right and wrong. Punish the guilty, but don’t punish the innocent.
Personally, if you’ve done something wrong, you admit to it, accept your punishment, learn from your mistakes, and move forward. If you’re innocent, you deny the allegations. You would think a university like Texas A&M would adhere to this sort of thought process.
Apparently not.
The NCAA and The Aggies, came to an agreement in the last 24 hours that there was an “inadvertent” violation surrounding these autographs. Manziel was suspended for the first half of the first game of the season against the mighty football juggernaut Rice (here’s where I wish there was a sarcasm font).
As I’ve said, I don’t expect a reasonable, consistent, or predictable punishment from the NCAA. However, I do from Texas A&M! If Manziel is innocent, I expect A&M to fight to the “last man” (Even the 12th Man if you want to put it in a football term respecting the tradition of A&M Football). That’s the SMC thing to do. Having said that, if there’s even a shred of evidence, that was denied by Manziel, that means he’s lied. That’s a violation of the first portion of the Honor Code. “An Aggie does not lie….”
He’s either guilty, or he’s not. If he’s not guilty, he should not miss a minute of football. If he’s guilty and lied about it, then he should be kicked out of school immediately for the Honor of the Code. Unfortunately, ”I am proud of the way both Coach Sumlin and Johnny handled this situation, with integrity and honesty,” Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp said in the statement. ”We all take the Aggie Code of Honor very seriously and there is no evidence that either the university or Johnny violated that code.” BULLSHIT.
That comment from the Chancellor is why this post is being written. If he’s innocent, A&M should have fought for him. If Manziel is guilty and lied about it, he should be gone.
But, perhaps the $37Million in additional Media Exposure that Manziel brought in to Texas A&M last season was enough that the Honor Code could be overlooked. Enough to let the Aggies “tolerate those that do” lie.
An SMC should never look passed that code. An SMC should never punish the innocent. Finally and SMC should never accept the lesser punishment when available. Right is right and wrong is wrong at an SMC.
We know Manziel lied to the police when he gave them a false name and fake ID when he was stopped for underage drinking prior to last season. That’s a violation of the code regardless of any autographs. Apparently we “tolerate” lying if you have talent.
A&M has handled this beyond poorly, and it’s sad to me that The Code, has a price. Apparently that’s about $37Million or so in Aggieland.
polarbearmusings 