hideyoursheep
08-07-2013, 07:17 AM
USA Today: Broker says Johnny Manziel was paid $7,500
While the NCAA investigates a report that Johnny Manziel accepted a "five-figure flat fee" with an autograph broker for signing memorabilia, ESPN reported another broker paid Manziel cash for signing approximately 300 mini and regular-sized helmets on Jan. 11.
The latest ESPN report, citing a broker who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claims Manziel was paid $7,500 while signing memorabilia on Jan. 11-12 while attending the Walter Camp Football Foundation in New Haven, Conn.
The broker played two cell phone videos for ESPN, showing Manziel signing white Texas A&M helmets and footballs laid out on a bed in a hotel room. However, the video does not show Manziel accepting any money. The broker and his partner originally requested money to release the videos for use on ESPN, which ESPN declined to pay. The broker told ESPN he decided not to sell the videos.
ESPN has connected three autograph brokers to Manziel. The first, Drew Tieman, is based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and allegedly met with Manziel the day before the BCS title game to purchase autographs. The identities of the second, who is based in Alabama and claims to have met with Manziel the night before the Texas A&M vs. Alabama game in November, and the third are not known.
NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.1 prohibits players from accepting money for promotion or sale of a product or service.
ESPN: Three sources said Manziel signed photographs, footballs, mini football helmets and other items at the request of an autograph broker named Drew Tieman. Two sources, who are aware of the signing arrangement, told "Outside the Lines" that Tieman approached Manziel on Jan. 6, when he landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to attend the game between Alabama and Notre Dame the next day.
After that meeting, three sources said, Manziel, accompanied by his friend and personal assistant Nathan Fitch, visited Tieman's residence and signed hundreds of items in the main room of the apartment despite the fact that there were many people in the room. Before Manziel left South Florida, after taking in the title game, he signed hundreds of autographs more, one source said.
The source also told "Outside the Lines" that James Garland, the NCAA's assistant director of enforcement, in June contacted Tieman and at least one person associated with the signings. The source said Garland, who did not return calls from "Outside the Lines" for comment, told the person that he wanted to talk about Manziel signing items that had appeared for sale on eBay. An NCAA spokeswoman cited NCAA policy to "Outside the Lines" and declined to comment.
In a statement, Jason Cook, Texas A&M's senior associate athletics director for external affairs, said "it is Texas A&M's longstanding practice not to respond to such questions concerning specific student-athletes."
Texas A&M declined further comment.
But A&M has responded to questions about Manziel and autographs before. On March 6, when ESPN.com contacted the school's compliance director, David Batson, to address a slew of Manziel-signed items that had flooded the memorabilia market, Batson provided a statement:
"Johnny has indicated on numerous occasions and, once again earlier today, that he has never (and to his knowledge, his parents, other relatives and friends have ever) been compensated through cash or other benefits or promises of deferred compensation for providing his autograph," Batson wrote.
While college athletes are frequently asked to sign autographs in public places, and those autographs often end up for sale on eBay, the amount of Manziel product that flooded the memorabilia market overall following the BCS title game was overwhelming, memorabilia dealers told "Outside the Lines."
While Manziel's father, Paul, had alleged that many of the items were fake, two of the leading autograph authentication companies, PSA/DNA and JSA, have authenticated many of the items.
Paul Manziel recently told ESPN The Magazine that he doesn't like how the school hasn't protected the family from the NCAA and how he believes that school administrators put their motives above his son's well-being.
"It's starting to get under our skin," he said. "They're so selfish."
Manziel also acknowledged that he was concerned about his son's drinking and how he is dealing with celebrity.
"Yeah, it could all come unraveled," Johnny's father told The Magazine. "And when it does, it's gonna be bad. Real bad."
The broker said the room was at The Omni in New Haven, Conn., during the Camp event. He said the signing took place at three different times on Jan. 11-12, totaling about an hour.
The broker and his partner originally requested money to release the videos for use on ESPN, which ESPN declined to pay. The broker did allow ESPN's Joe Schad to view the videos. Later, the broker said he had decided not to sell the videos.
The broker said the videos, approximately nine minutes in length in total, were initially shot only to be used as proof with authenticating company PSA/DNA.
On the videos, which the broker said were recorded without Manziel's knowledge, ESPN heard Manziel say "you never did a signing with me" and that if the broker were to tell anyone, he would refuse to deal with him again in the future. Manziel, who appeared comfortable throughout the video recordings, also said if asked, he would say he had simply been approached by various autograph seekers.
At one point, ESPN heard a broker ask Manziel if he would take additional cash to sign with special inscriptions, but Manziel declined, indicating he had done that before and it led to questions. The video does not show Manziel accepting cash, which the broker alleges happened three times. The broker told ESPN that Manziel said he wanted money for new rims for his vehicle.
(No need for links, just Google..it's everywhere)
While the NCAA investigates a report that Johnny Manziel accepted a "five-figure flat fee" with an autograph broker for signing memorabilia, ESPN reported another broker paid Manziel cash for signing approximately 300 mini and regular-sized helmets on Jan. 11.
The latest ESPN report, citing a broker who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claims Manziel was paid $7,500 while signing memorabilia on Jan. 11-12 while attending the Walter Camp Football Foundation in New Haven, Conn.
The broker played two cell phone videos for ESPN, showing Manziel signing white Texas A&M helmets and footballs laid out on a bed in a hotel room. However, the video does not show Manziel accepting any money. The broker and his partner originally requested money to release the videos for use on ESPN, which ESPN declined to pay. The broker told ESPN he decided not to sell the videos.
ESPN has connected three autograph brokers to Manziel. The first, Drew Tieman, is based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and allegedly met with Manziel the day before the BCS title game to purchase autographs. The identities of the second, who is based in Alabama and claims to have met with Manziel the night before the Texas A&M vs. Alabama game in November, and the third are not known.
NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.1 prohibits players from accepting money for promotion or sale of a product or service.
ESPN: Three sources said Manziel signed photographs, footballs, mini football helmets and other items at the request of an autograph broker named Drew Tieman. Two sources, who are aware of the signing arrangement, told "Outside the Lines" that Tieman approached Manziel on Jan. 6, when he landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to attend the game between Alabama and Notre Dame the next day.
After that meeting, three sources said, Manziel, accompanied by his friend and personal assistant Nathan Fitch, visited Tieman's residence and signed hundreds of items in the main room of the apartment despite the fact that there were many people in the room. Before Manziel left South Florida, after taking in the title game, he signed hundreds of autographs more, one source said.
The source also told "Outside the Lines" that James Garland, the NCAA's assistant director of enforcement, in June contacted Tieman and at least one person associated with the signings. The source said Garland, who did not return calls from "Outside the Lines" for comment, told the person that he wanted to talk about Manziel signing items that had appeared for sale on eBay. An NCAA spokeswoman cited NCAA policy to "Outside the Lines" and declined to comment.
In a statement, Jason Cook, Texas A&M's senior associate athletics director for external affairs, said "it is Texas A&M's longstanding practice not to respond to such questions concerning specific student-athletes."
Texas A&M declined further comment.
But A&M has responded to questions about Manziel and autographs before. On March 6, when ESPN.com contacted the school's compliance director, David Batson, to address a slew of Manziel-signed items that had flooded the memorabilia market, Batson provided a statement:
"Johnny has indicated on numerous occasions and, once again earlier today, that he has never (and to his knowledge, his parents, other relatives and friends have ever) been compensated through cash or other benefits or promises of deferred compensation for providing his autograph," Batson wrote.
While college athletes are frequently asked to sign autographs in public places, and those autographs often end up for sale on eBay, the amount of Manziel product that flooded the memorabilia market overall following the BCS title game was overwhelming, memorabilia dealers told "Outside the Lines."
While Manziel's father, Paul, had alleged that many of the items were fake, two of the leading autograph authentication companies, PSA/DNA and JSA, have authenticated many of the items.
Paul Manziel recently told ESPN The Magazine that he doesn't like how the school hasn't protected the family from the NCAA and how he believes that school administrators put their motives above his son's well-being.
"It's starting to get under our skin," he said. "They're so selfish."
Manziel also acknowledged that he was concerned about his son's drinking and how he is dealing with celebrity.
"Yeah, it could all come unraveled," Johnny's father told The Magazine. "And when it does, it's gonna be bad. Real bad."
The broker said the room was at The Omni in New Haven, Conn., during the Camp event. He said the signing took place at three different times on Jan. 11-12, totaling about an hour.
The broker and his partner originally requested money to release the videos for use on ESPN, which ESPN declined to pay. The broker did allow ESPN's Joe Schad to view the videos. Later, the broker said he had decided not to sell the videos.
The broker said the videos, approximately nine minutes in length in total, were initially shot only to be used as proof with authenticating company PSA/DNA.
On the videos, which the broker said were recorded without Manziel's knowledge, ESPN heard Manziel say "you never did a signing with me" and that if the broker were to tell anyone, he would refuse to deal with him again in the future. Manziel, who appeared comfortable throughout the video recordings, also said if asked, he would say he had simply been approached by various autograph seekers.
At one point, ESPN heard a broker ask Manziel if he would take additional cash to sign with special inscriptions, but Manziel declined, indicating he had done that before and it led to questions. The video does not show Manziel accepting cash, which the broker alleges happened three times. The broker told ESPN that Manziel said he wanted money for new rims for his vehicle.
(No need for links, just Google..it's everywhere)