Everytime Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel pops up in top-dollar seats at a basketball game or posts a photo of himself at the beach or hanging with another celeb, questions immediately follow. 

“How is he paying for that?”

“Think someone’s giving him illegal gifts?”

Well according to Manziel via CBSSports.com, the Texas A&M compliance department has wisely been covering all its bases when it comes to the jet-setting QB:

“They keep sending me questionnaires like, ‘How did I go to the Spurs game?’  Even though I’ve been going to Spurs games since I moved to Kerrville when I was in the seventh grade.  A good family friend who we’ve known since before I ever thought of playing college football has a suite there.  We’re going to go to the suite and we’re just gonna watch the game.  I know (Spurs’ star) Tony Parker on a personal level and if I go down to say hello, I’m not doing anything wrong.

They keep sending me questionnaires asking me who’s funding the trip?  Who’s doing this?  Every time I respond back, ‘ME, ME and ME,’ in capital letters.  Hey, I don’t mean to sound rude, but this is stuff I’ve always done, and I know you’re just doing your job, but it gets to you every now and again.”

Manziel has all the talent in the world, but only someone viewing the world through maroon-colored sunglasses could watch Manziel’s offseason (so far) and not be somewhat worried about fame going to this particular quarterback’s head.  It’s a legitimate concern.  And whether it’s chatting with Tony Parker at an NBA game or hanging with Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel at the Super Bowl, there’s plenty of stuff that might’ve already gone to Manziel’s head.

Even Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin realizes his star’s transformation from Johnny Manziel into Johnny Football requires some coaching away from the playing field:

“The conversations, a lot of times, are on a non-football level.  The conversations are about a lot of other things and how to handle them.  Everyone has an idea about how they’d handle it, but until you’re in their shoes, you really don’t know.

I don’t know that ‘keeping it in check’ is the right way to put it.  In a lot of ways, if he hadn’t won the Heisman, he’d still be going to games and to concerts and trying to meet LeBron (James).  But now those guys want to meet him, too.  And that’s changed his life…

Johnny really like to play football, though.  He’d have stayed in and played the whole (spring) game if we’d have let him Saturday.  So what’s the next challenge?  Really great players deep down inside are not motivated by the fame or the money.  They’re just string to be the best, and he has that in him.  What’s the next big thing?  Playing at the next level.  He really wants to play football and he wants to improve.”

Ah, the NFL.

When Manziel declares himself eligible for the NFL draft — and many expect the redshirt sophomore will do so a year from now — all aspects of his game will be examined.  From his arm strength to his height, there will always be doubters.

There will also be a lot of NFL coaches and GMs who’ll pepper Manziel with questions about his high-profile lifestyle.

In the end, talent will win out and A&M’s quarterback will be a hot commodity on draft day.  But if Texas A&M’s compliance office gets under his skin a bit, he’ll really be tested when 32 teams at the NFL combine grill him about his personal motivations: Fame or football, Johnny?

And trust us, he will absolutely have to answer that question again and again and again.

The Texas/Texas A&M rivalry has long been one of the most heated in college sports.  But if the two schools aren’t on the same field competing against one another anymore, technically is it still a rivalry?

Not according to Heisman-winning Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel:

“I understand the rivalry between the two… (but) for me it’s not a rivalry.  We got out of their conference, and we’re not playing them anymore, so it’s not a big deal.”

So do teams have to compete on a field or court to be rivals?  Actually, no.

Texas A&M and Texas are still competing for fan allegiance, donations, and recruits on a daily basis.  As the two lead-dog universities in the Lone Star State, their rivalry remains alive… even if it’s away from the playing field.

Johnny Football was coming at the UT/A&M rivalry from another angle and we understand that.  But if the rivalry were no longer a big deal, every post we put up about the Aggies wouldn’t be linked to on Longhorn messageboards.

Oh, it’s still a big deal.  A very big deal.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has made his best move this offseason — he’s pulled away from Twitter.  The Heisman-winner makes headlines when he sits in high-dollar seats at sporting events, when he shoves a GA during a spring scrimmage, when he dons a temporary tattoo of rival Texas’ logo (“Somebody dared me to do it, and we thought it would be funny”).

He’s also made waves by tweeting to his more than 300,000 followers.  No more.  Manziel has told ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach that he’s trying to cut out any external distractions, including Twitter:

“I’ve kind of just shut it all off.  With how the media has been with me for a while, I just shut everything off… It’s fun to have (a Twitter account), but it can get to be distracting at points.  I’m surprised to (see) how the attention has continued through the offseason.  I guess I thought it would die off and slow down a little bit, but it really hasn’t.”

Lesson #1 for Manziel: When you tweet, you are the media.  You’ve taken your thoughts and disseminated them electronically to — with re-tweets — potentially millions of readers.  So don’t say it’s about “how the media has been with me for a while.”  The media may read and react to your Twitter comments just as your friends and followers do, but if you’ve posted the material that generates the response… that’s on you.

We don’t believe that much good can come of college athletes posting their thoughts on Twitter 24/7.  We’ve written on a number of occasions that smart coaches would begin to limit or ban Twitter-usage and many have, especially during their particular seasons.

Johnny Football seems to be catching on to the fact that if you don’t want the world scrutinizing your every move, it’s probably best not to put out a string of 140-character press releases about your every move every day.  And that sounds like a wise move to us.

Missouri quarterback James Franklin came into the 2012 football season with high expectations.  In 2011, the dual-threat signal-caller posted 21 touchdown passes (against 11 interceptions) and 15 rushing TDs.  He was expected to be the top new QB in the SEC last year.

But things started badly with Franklin needing offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder.  Coach Gary Pinkle did Franklin no favors when he stated publicly that his quarterback had eschewed a painkiller shot before a September date with Arizona State.  Franklin threw just 10 touchdown passes and rushed for none during his injury-plagued campaign.  In addition, “Johnny Football” happened at Texas A&M, making Franklin’s SEC debut appear even worse.

Unfortunately for Franklin, he now quarterbacks in the age of Twitter and Facebook.  Fans are no longer limited to sharing their frustrations via boo birds.  Now they can reach right out and smack their school’s players around via the internet.  In Franklin’s case, some have.

According to The Columbia Tribune, last month Mizzou’s quarterback tweeted some words of encouragement to Tiger hoopster Phil Pressey.  A few MU fans — can they really be called fans? — had tweeted insults in the direction of the point guard.  Franklin responded with this: “So much for One-Mizzou: if a family member messes up you should positively support them, not make them feel awful! Keep your head up Phil”

At that point, fans began showering Franklin with insults, too.  He tried to respond with humor:

Fan:  “You’re right.  Keep strong and be positive.  And maybe you’ll be 3rd string next season”

Franklin:  “3rd string?  Thanks!  I was only giving myself a chance at 4th”

Fan:  “from one failure to another lol”

Franklin:  “yes, we are huge failures!  At least we get a free education right?  I forgot that not everyone fails, my bad”

Fan:  “you gotta be kidding me!!  Pressey is in the same category as you.  Suckass when the games on the line.  #georgia”

Franklin:  “haha no, no one is in as bad of a category as me”

Fan:  “coming from the king of clutch himself… At least he doesn’t always seem to be hurt when the games get tough”

Franklin:  “I’ve always wanted to be a king yeah, but I just love faking injuries to get out of tough games”

Fan:  “have fun sitting on the bench next year.”

Franklin:  “thanks, I will try!  But I may get hurt…benches are rough”

Ah, the things we worry about in this society.

Yesterday a photo of a shirtless Johnny Manziel revealed that the Texas A&M quarterback has a tattoo of the Texas Longhorns’ logo on his ribcage.

Mouths gaped.  Clocks stopped.  Twitter boomed.

Only, Manziel says the tattoo — and here’s another photo of it — is fake.  As in temporary.  Ah, that wacky kid.  A&M’s Heisman-winner actually grew up a Texas fan but if he says the tattoo is fake, we’ll take his word for it.

However.

The website that initially posted the photo — BustedCoverage.com — takes Manziel to task for the photo:

“If you don’t want to blow up blogs, go to Cabo and avoid henna (tattoos).  Otherwise, we’re splashing your ass all over the internet.

Don’t cry to newspaper writers that you can’t be a normal college student who takes classes on campus.  Don’t cry to ESPN that you can’t live a normal life because of the ‘microscope.’

Again, you put a UT Longhorn henna on your abs and it’s on.”

OK.  But isn’t the fact that a third-year college student can’t pose for photos with friends or fans without America freaking out over a joke tattoo exactly what the term “living under a microscope” describes?

Manziel isn’t camera shy and everyone with a web connection knows it.  But if a college kid can’t do the spring break thing like his teammates and fellow students without a website threatening to splash his “ass all over the internet,” that would seem to suggest that, yup, Johnny Football “can’t be a normal college student” anymore.

This offseason has already turned into a season of hype for Texas A&M’s returning Heisman-winner, Johnny Manziel.  The shifty redshirt sophomore quarterback has become a staple of “SportsCenter” and an internet star.  Talkshows, trick shot passing videos, big game tickets… you name it and you’ve probably seen Manziel attached to it.

But one writer in the Lone Star State believes the Flutie-esque star needs to do a bit of improving on the field before he decides to jump early to the NFL next spring (something most expect him to do).  Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News writes:

“… it may be time to tap the brakes on Johnny Football’s rocketing career. Maybe no college football player ever has come so far, so fast.

For a guy who likes to run as much as he does, he needs to get bigger and stronger. He also needs to refine his passing, especially downfield. One of the reasons Ryan Swope’s blistering time in the 40 surprised so many at the combine was because he spent so much time catching shorter passes underneath. Manziel couldn’t find him deep. He improved over the course of the season, but it remains a work in progress, as it would with any college quarterback with only one year as a starter.

Tim Tebow has pretty much proved that you can’t make it in the NFL on legs alone. Manziel’s a better passer than Tebow already, but not as good as Robert Griffin III, who benefited greatly at Baylor from what was essentially his third year as a starter. Johnny Football no doubt could, too.”

Sherrington is correct, of course.  One tremendous college season does not a pro career make.  Plenty of “unstoppable” college QBs from Tebow to Vince Young have had trouble translating their talents from the amateur ranks to the professional.  So it would only make sense for Manziel to continue to hone his skills.  Wisely, he’ll spend part of his offseason working with quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr.  And on today’s Dan Patrick radio show Manziel suggested he might not be a lock to leave early.

As for his ability to improve his long ball skills, the benefits can go beyond the field.

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has found just how bright the spotlight on a returning Heisman Trophy-winner can be this offseason.  Everything from his ability to get sporting event tickets to his decision to take some online summer classes has come up for discussion in the national media.  His family’s lawsuit to protect his “Johnny Football” moniker was even briefly touted as the lawsuit that would bring down the NCAA (it’s not).

But through it all, Manziel insists he hasn’t changed.  In an interview with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, the Aggies’ star said this weekend that he still sees himself “as the person I was before” the Heisman and the headlines:

“If somebody wants to come up to me and freak out, I don’t get it.  I don’t understand it.  We did a lot of great things.  I’ve been blessed to have done the things I did individually.  For me, I don’t see it hat way.  I still see myself as young, the same guy I was before I ever won the Heisman.  Hopefully my friends still feel I’m the say way.  I just want people to know I’m still the same person I’ve always been.”

Manziel also said that he’s enjoying his time in College Station but if the NFL comes calling next offseason (after his redshirt sophomore season), “just like anybody else, the decision will have to be made.”

A&M’s coaching staff has made no secret about the fact that the Aggies need to be prepared for their all-everything QB to take his act to the next level.  But that shouldn’t prevent Texas A&M fans from enjoying at least one more season of Manziel’s exploits.  Forget the off-field stuff.  So long as Johnny Football hasn’t changed his game on the field, Aggie fans will be happy.

Heisman-winning Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has been described in a lot of ways.  Thrilling.  Exciting.  Doug Flutie-esque.  A guy who plays “backyard football.”  You name it, it’s probably been said.

Especially now.

During the NFL combine, former Manziel receiver Ryan Swope lined up to do his timed run.  NFL Network’s Rich Eisen mentioned that he was once a target for Johnny Football.  Draft analyst Mike Mayock responded by praising Swope’s performance in A&M’s win over Alabama… and by saying this:

“I’ll tell ya another thing — Johnny Football is like good deodorant ’cause he makes stinky things smell good.”

Mayock explained that when Manziel’s line failed to protect him, he could run around and turn it into a positive.  Good thing he explained it.  Because the timing might have suggested Swope was one of the stinky things Manziel made smell good.

SEC Saturday Basketball
Early Finals…LSU 97, Alabama 94 (3 OT)…Vanderbilt 72, Mississippi State 31…Georgia 62, South Carolina 54 (OT)
Games underway or tonight…Tennessee at Texas A&M…Auburn at Ole Miss…Arkansas at Florida
ESPN GameDay on hand for Missouri-Kentucky Saturday night at Rupp Arena
$425 million renovation of Texas A&M’s Kyle Field will begin in November…stadium capacity could eclipse Neyland Stadium
The family of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has filed a lawsuit claiming someone infringed on the “Johnny Football” trademark in order to sell t-shirts
Georgia reserve tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith arrested Friday night…misdemeanor charge involves a false report of stolen textbooks
New offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s contract at LSU calls for a $1 million buyout.
Follow SEC news every day at MrSEC.com and on Twitter at Twitter.com/mrsec

The family of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel trademarked the term “Johnny Football” last fall.  Now the family is taking legal action to protect that trademark.

Manziel has filed a lawsuit claiming someone infringed on the trademark in order to sell t-shirts.  The suit claims that last November, the defendant – Eric Vaughan – was using the trademark to sell shirts that stated “Keep Calm and Johnny Football.”

Manziel’s corporation, JMAN2 Enterprises LLC, is asking for injunctive relief for the sale of the shirts and damages associated with it.

While Manziel can’t profit from the enterprise until his NCAA eligibility expires or leaves early for the NFL, ESPN”s Darren Rovell reports that Texas A&M recently received a ruling from the NCAA that a student-athlete can keep financial earnings as a result of a legal action.