Play him.

 

Sitting him prior to an NCAA ruling is tantamount to an admission of guilt.

 

The guy is gonna say that he signed the stuff for free; even if he didn't and took cash, there's no paper trail. My gut tells me that the NCAA will find nothing they can hand their hat on.

If he did it and you know he did it, why would you play him?

 

Because you have nothing to lose if you play him. If down the road you have to forfeit any wins, oh well, you weren't winning without him anyways. There's no downside to playing him IMO.

One thing I'll say about you UKMF, you speak in very passionate absolutes.

 

Go big or go home, right?

Because you have nothing to lose if you play him. If down the road you have to forfeit any wins, oh well, you weren't winning without him anyways. There's no downside to playing him IMO.

Probation, loss of bowl games, loss of scholarships, loss of teams share of revenue from SEC...other than that nothing to lose.

Probation, loss of bowl games, loss of scholarships, loss of teams share of revenue from SEC...other than that nothing to lose.

 

That won't happen. It's going to be hard enough to prove Manziel was paid, let alone prove that A&M knew about it.

 

All that will happen if he plays is they'll have to forfeit games they won that would've been lost anyways had he not played. Again, nothing to lose.

That won't happen. It's going to be hard enough to prove Manziel was paid, let alone prove that A&M knew about it.

 

All that will happen if he plays is they'll have to forfeit games they won that would've been lost anyways had he not played. Again, nothing to lose.

 

I don't think they lose all of those games without him, A&M is a pretty solid team even without him.

 

This isn't a court of Law, NCAA does not have the same burden of proof as a criminal trial. It's more like a civil case where they can find him/school guilty by a preponderance of the evidence.

 

The way he seems to have been so audacious in signing all of these autographs, the NCAA WILL come down as hard as possible. Right now school isn't in trouble because all of this supposedly happened after the season last year and so far he hasn't played a game yet this season.

 

Problem A&M has is that he probably won't be proven guilty of anything while he is still in college, but at some point in the future someone will get mad at Manziel and be willing to talk. At that point he's off drunk in a bar somewhere after his NFL career has fizzled and A&M is left holding the bag and receives all of the penalties. Some one always talks...it's just a matter of time.

I agree, but at this point wouldn't the NCAA be able to say that A&M did/should know due to ongoing investigation?

 

The NCAA can do whatever it wants, however stupid/hypocritical/greedy/inconsistent they may seem.

 

If nothing happened to Cam Newton/Auburn, nothing should ever happen to anyone, anywhere.

That won't happen. It's going to be hard enough to prove Manziel was paid, let alone prove that A&M knew about it.

 

All that will happen if he plays is they'll have to forfeit games they won that would've been lost anyways had he not played. Again, nothing to lose.

 

Great point.

You play him, and every time he passes for a TD at home, you send out mounds of monopoly money into the crowd and make it rain.

Play him, without question, until told otherwise by the NCAA.

Play him, without question, until told otherwise by the NCAA.

How'd that work out for Memphis!

How'd that work out for Memphis!

 

If I'm not mistaken, the Memphis basketball team didn't have a single sanction against them. They had to forfeit the games Rose played, but the program itself wasn't penalized.

How'd that work out for Memphis!

 

If I'm not mistaken, the Memphis basketball team didn't have a single sanction against them. They had to forfeit the games Rose played, but the program itself wasn't penalized.

 

I'd also say that had Calipari not left for UK it would still be working out pretty well for Memphis.

..........It is impossible to answer this question knowing what we do (which isn't all of the story), but here is the situation as it exists today:

 

* The NCAA has assembled a committee to investigate this situation.

* That committee will be having daily conversations / communications with the Senior Associate AD for Compliance at Texas A&M.

* That person (SAAD for Compliance) will be having daily update meetings with the AD, his senior staff, and in turn, the AD will meet indiviudally with Sumlin and also with the President.

* They will know exactly how the investigation is going, which way it looks like it is heading, and will have a sense for what they're in for (nothing, 4 or 5 games, loss of eligibility, etc.).

* Since the turnaround time on the Appeal process is so short, they probably have already crafted that and have it at the ready, minus a few tweaks, to submit once the ruling comes down.

* Based on my experience in these things, if the AD chooses to play him (it is NOT the decision of Sumlin) before the investigation concludes, there is very little chance there would be blow-back.

* However, where the dice rolling comes in is if they choose to play him after the ruling and while waiting on their appeal to be heard. That will be the question...play or don't play. Most institutions will chose not to play a SA during the appeal process because then you get into forfeiture of games and revenue.

 

He will absolutely play on Saturday vs Rice, barring an unbelievably quick ruling from the NCAA (I'd be shocked if their ruling comes down by the end of September....believe me, there is no rush to accommodate A&M's schedule). Now, if they find there is smoke but not enough proof, it is likely there is no decision, per se, until much later (as they dig). However, once it comes down, and if they suspend him based on what they have (which we have no idea what they have in total), that is when this thing will get interesting. This is different than the Reggie Bush case, which I've heard thrown around, because no one (that I've heard) is alleging improper benefits by an agent of the school (booster).

If I'm not mistaken, the Memphis basketball team didn't have a single sanction against them. They had to forfeit the games Rose played, but the program itself wasn't penalized.

 

So A&M has nothing to worry about ... except forfeiting all their games.