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Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is under the NCAA microscope after a broker alleged he was selling autographs. Trouble is, earning money from signing memorabilia breaks a bylaw of the NCAA. If the allegations are true, the Heisman trophy winner could be disqualified from the league.
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The future of Manziel's college football career is stuck in purgatory, but in the meantime, the NFL has started looking at him as a future player. Regardless of the year, Manziel has a football career waiting for him out of college.
But for now, everyone in the NFL -- scouts, coaches, general managers -- is watching. They have watched him get kicked out of a fraternity party, get sent home from Manning Passing Camp and rattle off half-hearted apologies with "being 20" as an excuse.
The NFL has no question about whether he has the skill to make it in the league. What hangs in the balance is whether he proves that he is able to see into the future and act accordingly.
"To me, it is success coming too early to a young man who's not ready to handle success," one AFC general manager said.
"Is he talented on the field? Yes. But I think when you win the Heisman Trophy, you have a responsibility to uphold the honors of that trophy and what it represents. All of this is allegedly what he's done, but if he's done it, he hasn't upheld the values of what that trophy represents."
"I've seen enough to know he has the skill set to succeed," another front office executive said. "He's a combination of Michael Vick and Russell Wilson, but there are big questions on his maturity and leadership right now."
