The Whole Manziel Thing Is Exploding Now

First, yesterday's revelation:

The number of items attributed to have been signed by Manziel in the continuing ESPN Outside the Lines investigation into the probable (almost definite, in my view) ineligibility vis-a-vis the dying NCAA is now up to at least 4,400.

As of this point, it appears to make at least four different sets of autographs signed, and at least two parties are claiming he was paid for at least one of the sessions.

• We have the session reported last week in Miami, for which it is rumored he was to get five figures.
• We have two Northeastern US autograph brokers who claimed to gather 300 signed items, and paid $7,500 for the privilege.
• Now, we have another session around the BCS National Championship Game.
• And another one later in January in Houston.  Both of the last two are rumored to have Manziel sign over 1,500 items apiece!  No word on if money changed hands at either of these.

One of the sessions has actually been confirmed by an autograph-authentication company, who paid $10,000 to verify over 1,100 signatures!

So that's one angle...

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But it's nothing compared to what Deadspin came out with today.

A sourced family history of Manziel's family was one of the lead articles today on Deadspin.

 To say it's explosive would probably be a severe understatement.

The Manziel family is an oil family (no surprise in Texas), according to the article.

But it gets a lot more "colorful" (read:  criminal!) than that.

Family indictments and other indications seem to indicate that the Manziel family has also been involved with:

• Grifting and Land Hustling
• Cocaine Trafficking
• Murder
• Cockfighting
• and Match-Fixing

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

You really need to read this, and understand, given this kind of influence and peddling and criminality, just what Johnny Manziel might be allowed to get away with (and, as I've asserted long before now, what he probably already has...).

This family knows how the game is really played.  I speak of a Sports Machine of media, corporate, and underworld interests that control how sports go in this country.  It really sounds as if this family is very, VERY well acquainted with this situation.

Unraveling this string will probably upset a lot more than Texas A&M's football season.

Several of the Manziels have spent lengthy periods of time in both Texas and Federal prisons.

However, Bobby Joe Manziel Jr. has connections with the likes of Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin on his resume as well.

Bobby Jr. is Johnny Football's father's first cousin's father.  Bobby Jr. is Johnny Football's first cousin, once removed.  (I hope I got that right.)

Johnny Football's dad's claim to fame is not much unakin to my probably lesser-known one -- getting banned from message boards, these specific to college football!

You really need to get this all from the article.  I'm going to let it do most of the work, because you really need to see just how far this family tree has gone.

Given what we KNOW about sports (if you choose to pay attention), the level of criminality and the like in this family should be the final red flag to get Johnny Football off the field, probably permanently.

I think Johnny Manziel's only real hope of playing this year is:

• Signing on to the O'Bannon lawsuit (which he may have already done -- I'm not sure)
• and then getting a restraining order against the NCAA prohibiting them from sanctioning him before the O'Bannon lawsuit reaches trial or is settled.