Johnny Manziel runs afoul of NCAA with his signing day antics
Former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel got dinged by the NCAA for violating recruiting rules.
All Johnny Football did was send out tweets to players being recruited by his alma mater, Texas A&M, encouraging them to become Aggies. This was, of course, leading up to National Signing Day on Wednesday.
NCAA bylaw 13.02.13 (c) states that former players cannot “be assisting or to have been requested (by the athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes.”
So tweets like this …
Yo @WakeEmUp9 we could use some of that top flight security in that secondary in College Station. Come see what Aggieland is all about #GigEm
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) January 30, 2018
… and this …
Watched that SeniorSZN highlight tape for 20 seconds and that was all I needed to see @D1__JW Come join the movement bruh special things going on in Aggieland #GigEm @D1__JW @D1__JW
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) February 2, 2018
… are not allowed.
However, recruits are allowed to contact former players to ask them for their advice.
Apparently, someone from the NCAA got wind of Manziel’s tweets and told him to cease and desist.
Manziel said Wednesday that because of “always controversial NCAA rules” he would no longer be able to tweet at recruits.
Due to always controversial NCAA rules I will no longer be able to @ any recruits. My apologies…
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) February 7, 2018
For what it’s worth, the Aggies, under new coach Jimbo Fisher, had a pretty good National Signing Day.
They landed four-star quarterback James Foster from Montgomery, Alabama, Lanier High School, beating out LSU and Florida State for his services.
All in all, they signed seven players on National Signing Day, including defensive tackle Bobby Brown, who flipped from Alabama; tight end Glenn Beal, who chose A&M over Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee; and guard Marcus Jenkins, over Oklahoma and Mississippi.
247 Sports ranks the Aggies’ Class of 2018 haul at No. 17 nationally.
Meanwhile, Manziel has been working out in hopes of resuming his professional football career. This week he was working out on the “comeback trail” with Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr.
Manziel was offered a two-year contract with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats in January, but he has not yet signed with the Cats.
There has also been talk that he might find his way into the reborn XFL.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
