Dez Bryant thinks student-athletes should make money on their likeness

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel is in the middle of a scandal alleging that he received money to sign autographs for a memorabilia dealer. The NCAA is still investigating and hasn’t made a decision on what to do with the star quarterback.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant is no stranger to NCAA sanctions. He was suspended for the final 10 games of his college career after lying about having lunch with Deion Sanders and lying about it to NCAA investigators. The lying is what got him in trouble, not the lunch.

Dez said he would be mad if Manziel wasn’t suspended, but thinks NCAA athletes should be able to profit of their likeness.

“I feel like players in the NCAA should [be allowed to make money on endorsements and autograph signings],” Bryant said, ESPN Dallas. “Those fans are coming to watch them and support them. Whenever you’re in college, it’s different. You don’t get paid like the NFL gets paid. I think it would be OK to have a little money in your pocket. It’s hard in college. You’ve got to get a job if you can. You’ve got to practice. It’s just hard. Sometimes the training table is not good enough.

“[Manziel] should be able to sign as many autographs and make as much money as he wants, because it’s his name. He’s the one who created it. He should be able to do whatever he feels, as long as it’s legal, and I don’t think anything is illegal about signing your name on a picture of yourself, making money off yourself.

“The NCAA makes money off of it when they sell those No. 2 shirts, so why can’t he make a little bit of money off it?”

The Manziels have hired a lawyer but Dez declined to address whether he considered legal action against the NCAA.

“I don’t want anything to happen to Manziel, I promise,” Bryant said. “I just want them to know what they’re doing is not right. They need to know and they need to understand that. Seriously, they really do.”