Manziel to miss first half of Rice game

[Harry]

“@McMurphyESPN: Johnny Manziel has been suspended 1st half vs. Rice, source told @ESPN. 1st reported by @billyliucci” That'll teach him!!!!

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon)

August 28, 2013

[Mean_Green09]

Would be nice for Rice to jump on them early. I'm think it will be a close game.

[untjim1995]

WAY to go NCAA and A&M!!! That will show him!! I mean, really, Johnny Football, you either got away with thousands of dollars in your pockets to miss out the first half of your opening game (at home) against Rice in 100+ degree heat, OR you did not take the money, signed autographs for the sake of being a nice guy (doubtful) and your reward is to miss the opening half of your season opener.

Ridiculous...

Meanwhile, to make this UNT centric, if Brelan Chancellor signed a cast for a kid's broken leg that he suffered in a car crash that made him an orphan, Chancellor would never see the field again and we would lose 5 scholarships for the next decade...

To paraphrase the old Jerry Tarkanian line about the NCAAs hypocrisy: The NCAA has found improprieties committed at Texas A&M, so North Texas better be ready for their upcoming probation penalties...

Edited August 28, 2013 by untjim1995

[H-towngreen]

Breakdown of this ruling: The NCAA knows he got paid for his signing sessions but was unable to prove it.

[Tree]

He will probably play the third quarter then sit out the fourth quarter and put on his visor they will be so far ahead.

Breaking: Johnny Manziel has been ordered not to eat rice for 30 minutes on Saturday. #HarsherPunishments

[Stix]

And the NCAA will probably take the eligibility away from these kids for being given a reward by the store:

http://www.click2houston.com/news/Store-rewards-honest-shoppers/-/1735978/21683890/-/mg7mmwz/-/index.html

Four members of the William Paterson University football team in New Jersey each scored $50 gift cards after surveillance cameras captured them at a Wayne store paying for batteries and sunglasses, even though no employees were around.

[JKvsHimself]

I had to double check the source when I first read this on ESPN.

Thought it was a joke or something...

[Cerebus]

This is idiotic.

1) He was suspended because he signed autographs that could be sold for money. Doesn't this mean NO ONE can EVER sign an autograph?

2) Doesn't the simple fact of his playing football cause money to change hands? Why isn't that illegal also?

The NCAA is a joke.

[UNT90]

Meanwhile, Manu has to sit because he once enrolled at a JUCO, yet never played a down.

The NCAA loves money.

Full throttle, Johnny Football. Nothing will happen to you if the NCAA has their way. You just mean too much to college athletics...

Edited August 28, 2013 by UNT90

[Travis]

Poor Dez Bryant.

[KRAM1]

NCAA screwed the pooch on this one! But, probably could not prove anything as all the "interested parties" were shutting up and the NCAA has no power to compel them to talk...and seems they will not. Why should they? Their necks are on the line as well here.

Just shows that hypocrisy runs supreme at the NCAA these days...but, looks like they had no proof...so what are they to do?

[LongJim]

Land Thieves get in on the act.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXu6l2EVcG4

[UNTLifer]

What a weak assed organization. There is zero consistency in anything the NCAA does or in the decisions they make.

[Harry]

Manziel lawyer told @ESPN although they believe he didn't commit violation they accepted suspension so NCAA wouldn't drag out investigation

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN)

August 28, 2013

[FirefightnRick]

If your shocked by this you haven't been paying attention. As I tried to point out,..the NCAA got caught with it's pants down choosing to look the other way when other select athletes were being used to raise money. They just couldn't keep a lid on this one because so many want to see A&M fail.

At least the NCAA came to it's senses and relented their decision to disallow the Marine at MTSU from playing because he played in an on-base recreational football league.

http://m.newstribune.com/news/2013/aug/19/former-marine-allowed-play-middle-tennessee-state/?templates=mobile#.Uh52_WS9LTo

Rhodes eligibility was in question because he played in a recreational league during his military service. An NCAA rule states student-athletes who dont enroll in college within a year of graduating high school will be charged one year of eligibility for every academic year they participate in organized competition.

By NCAA standards, Rhodes play at the Marine base counted as organized competition because there were game officials, team uniforms and the score was kept.

But the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Marine sergeant said the recreational league was nothing close to organized.

Man, it was like intramurals for us, the 24-year-old told The (Murfreesboro) Daily News Journal, which first reported the story. There were guys out there anywhere from 18 to 40-something years old. The games were spread out. We once went six weeks between games.

Rick

Edited August 28, 2013 by FirefightnRick

[Mean Green 93-98]

At least the NCAA came to it's senses and relented their decision to disallow the Marine at MTSU from playing because he played in an on-base recreational football league.

http://m.newstribune.com/news/2013/aug/19/former-marine-allowed-play-middle-tennessee-state/?templates=mobile#.Uh52_WS9LTo

Rick

Glad to hear it. Maybe the NCAA will come to its senses and not count eligibility against a certain OT during time he was neither enrolled nor playing.

[emmitt01]

Is this surprising to ANYONE?!

I knew this whole time that a four letter organization was making all the calls, and it wasn't NCAA it was ESPN. Under NO circumstances was the Johnny Football train, and especially the aTm/Alabama game, going to be derailed by something as simple as cheating.

As an aside we are now counting the days until the "big boy" conferences use this decision and others to break away from the NCAA under the guise of not trusting their ability to uphold order.

[greenit]

ATM and UT programs should be shut down before they bring more shame to the state.

[TheFranchise]

Surprising? No.

Comical? Yes.

It is funny, though that had Texas pulled something like this, Aggie would have a field day.

-- Stephen

[houstonmeangreen]

Breakdown of this ruling: The NCAA knows he got paid for his signing sessions but was unable to prove it.

That is because whoever paid Manziel is now being paid by TAM !

[emmitt01]

Surprising? No.

Comical? Yes.

It is funny, though that had Texas pulled something like this, Aggie would have a field day.

-- Stephen

Had it been UT it would have been handled "in the family" and eventually swept under the rug...just like kicking in someone's door to "recover" your TV, or driving drunk into a pole and walking away, or "rape" at a bowl game, or....

[NM Green]

I am thrilled that the a&m bama game is in tact! Go Johnny go!!!!!

GMG

[Graddean]

This is an absolute farce.

[Stan R]

It may be a farce, but don't lie - you're kind of glad Johnny gets to play right?

[Varsity]

I wonder if Johnny Eight Ball reaps the whirlwind this season.