The best case scenario for Johnny Manziel is that the NCAA finds no concrete evidence that links him to accepting money in exchange for autographs. In order for Manziel to be suspended for any significant period of time, investigators would have to find a paper trail connecting him to autograph brokers.
However, there is also the possibility that Manziel and the NCAA could reach some sort of compromise — a plea deal so the speak. USA Today spoke with John Infante, a former university compliance officer and founder of The Bylaw Blog, earlier this week and he speculated that Manziel could be given a reduced suspension in exchange for information.
The idea would be to punish Manziel without derailing Texas A&M’s entire season. If he missed two games, he would return in time for the Aggies’ big showdown against Alabama on Sept. 14. By offering Manziel “limited immunity,” the NCAA would require him to provide information on how the autograph process worked so they have a better idea of how to prevent it in the future.
“You can say (Manziel) ‘admitted to it, he gave us information and helped the larger effort, so we wanted to send the message that we were rewarding him’ for helping,” Infante explained.
Infante’s scenario remains unlikely, but it would make sense on some level. He pointed out how Auburn’s situation with Cam Newton in 2010 made the NCAA look bad since everyone assumed Newton was guilty but the circumstantial evidence was insufficient.
The accusations against Manziel are piling up by the day. One broker even listed specifics about how much he allegedly paid Manziel, but NCAA investigators still have their work cut out for them. Unless someone can find the actual money that was exchanged, Manziel may have little to worry about.
