Texas A&M's Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel has been handed a punishment for the "inadvertant violation regarding the signing of certain autographs" and will sit out the first half of the season opener.
According to both the school and the NCAA, there was no evidence to support reports that Manziel recieved money in exchange for the autographs. If Manziel had been found to have accepted money for the autographs, his eligibility could have been compromised.
"NCAA rules are clear that student-athletes may not accept money for items they sign and based on information provided by Manziel, that did not happen in this case," the NCAA said in a news release Wednesday.
Still, due to the some of the signings, the school declared Manziel ineligible and outlined his conditions for reinstatement to the NCAA.
To be reinstated Manziel must do the following:
- Sit out through one-half of a game (which he'll do against Rice).
- Address the team about the situation and the lessons learned.
- Texas A&M will revise future education concerning student-athlete autographs for individuals with multiple items.
To meet the conditions, Maziel will sit out the first half of the Aggies' season-opener this Saturday against Rice.
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The NCAA accepted the conditions and said, should any new information about Manziel and autographs come to light, they'll address it then.
