Johnny Manziel voiced his support for suspended Georgia running back Todd Gurley and thinks he should be able to capitalize off his brand
The huge bombshell dropped on Thursday afternoon that Georgia Bulldogs star running back Todd Gurley has been suspended indefinitely by the school pending an investigation in to the allegations that he was paid to sign memorabilia and profit off his likeness.
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Former Texas A&M Aggies quarterback and 2012 Heisman winner, Johnny Manziel, was suspended for the first half of the Aggies home opener last year when he was the subject of a similar case after signing autographs for an autograph broker.
"“I feel for him,” Manziel tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.“He’s built an image for himself. He’s built somewhat of a brand,” Manziel, a first-round pick in May’s draft, said after Friday’s practice in Cleveland. “I feel he should be able to capitalize off it. I don’t think [NCAA rules are] going to change any time soon. … It’s an ongoing — for student-athletes — problem in college athletics.”"
Much of the conversation following the news that Gurley had been suspended was how silly and archaic the rule is and that Gurley should not be in trouble for signing his own name. No matter how silly the rule may be, Gurley is fully aware of the rules that he is alleged to have broken, but Manziel thinks it is time the NCAA modified and updated their rules considering how much revenue they generate off the college athletes.
“I think [college football] is at a big crossroads right now with how much money, college football in particular, is bringing in for universities, for networks, for the SEC, for everything,” Manziel said. “Then there are [players] walking out with an $800 scholarship check a month.”
Gurley is out for the Bulldogs’ game against the Missouri Tigers on Saturday and could miss the remainder of the season potentially depending on the outcome of this case.
Prior to the suspension, Gurley was considered the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
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