Re: Texas A & M....
But maybe, just maybe, ESPNs reporting has some holes in it. Have we ever seen "the video"? Why will no one go on the record with the NCAA? If no witness will sign their name to their anonymous allegations, I don't know how that constitutes valid NCAA proof.
Ok, let me get this straight. A&M goes out and gets the lawyers Auburn used, the Manziels lawyer up to. They start going out, and telling people to take things down off Ebay, etc... they scare people into silence, you have politicians in Texas publicly claiming that people could be prosecuted for getting Johnny to sign, and you're over here where's the proof? That's the type of thing a gangster would say after burying a few bodies. Please...
The proof is in the fact that there are multiple accounts of Johnny being paid for autographs, and numerous examples of said autographs. Never mind the fact that it would have been a violation if he just knew they would be sold (no need for money to exchange hands). This kind of talk is sadly why the Auburn comparison is sounding increasingly correct.
I was one of the biggest supporters for adding Texas A&M to the SEC on this board. I was arguing for it, well over a year before it happened. I was given access to A&M inside info on the issue and the like, and I was steadfast in my belief that A&M was more than just another Auburn, that they could step out of Texas' shadow.
I felt sorry for A&M when this news came out. It seemed like were forced into a tough situation because Johnny was paid for autographs before the end of the season. This means that they can't just sit Johnny, and face no punishment. The NCAA in their eternal wisdom throws the books at people who cooperate, and if A&M admits Johnny was signed autographs knowing they would be sold, they played an ineligible player.
I can understand their not talking much, I can understand their negotiating with the NCAA behind closed doors. The issue I have is that they just opened the Auburn playbook, they acted like a little brother acts, and denied and deflected as best they could. It is Cam all over again, in that we don't know what we know we know.
It is sad to witness. A&M was on the verge of becoming a true power, perhaps even rivaling Alabama in the SEC West, and taking true steps to catch up to Texas. But, Johnny screwed that up a bit, and they are taking a path that we all know doesn't pay long term dividends. If you can't respect yourself, you can't expect others to respect you, and Auburn was willing to lie, and cheat, and do what ever they could for a short term reward, and now they're a giant mess. A&M seems willing to do the same, and I find it sad.
I also find it frustrating, since it makes the entire SEC look bad.