Newest Allegations Could Be End-All For "Johnny Football" At A&M

Johnny Manziel is under fire once again with the allegations reported Sunday that he was paid to sign autographs for fans.  The man, known as "Johnny Football" on the gridiron, has been under much scrutiny throughout the offseason since winning the Heisman Trophy in December.  He became a worldwide phenomenon and crowd-pleaser with his improbable performances throughout the season, including knocking off the top-ranked Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on November 10th. Sports fans were shocked by his unique football-playing abilities and fascinated with his polarizing presence on-and-off the field.  He put Texas A&M on the map in their inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference by becoming the school's first Heisman Trophy winner since John David Crow in 1957.  His on-field presence also silenced those critics who believed Texas A&M did not deserve to play on the same field as the elite programs of college football's strongest conference.

Manziel has made a lot of news since winning the prestigious Heisman Trophy and crushing former Big 12 rival Oklahoma in January's Cotton Bowl Classic, but much of the publicity has not been positive.  In February, news of Manziel taking only online classes at Texas A&M was the first controversial matter of his busy offseason.  Manziel referenced the difficulty to reach classes on time because there was too much buzz surrounding him on campus, but many believed he was selfish in not dealing with the everyday discomforts of the normal college student.  Another incident occurred during a spring practice in March when he pushed a graduate assistant after throwing his third interception of the day.  In early July, he was invited to be a coach and counselor at the Manning Passing Academy, but was irresponsible in oversleeping and missing mandatory appointments and practices.  Although he was reportedly dismissed due to illness, information about the truth seemed shady and incomplete because he was discovered at a College Station bar later that day.  In late July, Manziel was found in enemy territory at two fraternity parties near the University of Texas, and kicked out of one of them.  He has also misused Twitter on numerous occasions.  Many sources close to Manziel have reported that he struggles to control his anger at times, and this is present throughout his Twitter account.  During Spring Break, a picture surfaced online of Manziel sporting a Texas Longhorn tattoo.  Manziel denied the accuracy of the picture, but it would be the first of many arguments to ensue between him and other users on the social media site.  After receiving a parking ticket in June, he criticized College Station on the website and said he was ready to leave.  He eventually deleted the confrontational message and, in a follow-up tweet, said he loved his university and asked others to walk a day in his shoes, but the damage had already been done.  His lack of maturity occurred once again when he overreacted to a tweet in late July that said his record-setting season last year was a fluke.  He was boastful in his response and posted a picture of his Heisman Trophy.

Although these were all poor decisions, nothing topped Sunday's allegations that he was paid to sign autographs at January's BCS National Championship Game in Miami because it could be Manziel's ultimate end-all in college football.  According to three sources, Manziel asked for a five-figure flat fee to sign pictures, footballs, mini football helmets, and other memorabilia for autograph broker Drew Tieman.  In addition, he was paid for hundreds of other autographs before leaving South Florida.  If the NCAA finds Manziel guilty, his eligibility for the upcoming season could be at risk and Texas A&M's high expectations this season, winning the national championship or appearing in a BCS Bowl Game, could be down the drain if he doesn't play.  Texas A&M is the preseason #6 team, but hearts are racing throughout Aggieland because this could be the end of "Johnny Football" at the beloved university.