Some interesting comments last week from former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel about the NIL deal that now allows college athletes to be paid for the use of their name, image and likeness. Our contributor Landon Buford reports on what the former Quarterback thinks about this deal, what he would've done if he could've legally gotten paid in college, and his advice to today's generation of college athletes.
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Last June, former Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny Manziel revealed in an interview with Barstool Sports while he was at Texas A&M from 2011-2014, he said he accepted $33K to sign autographs during his tenure.
Per Manziel, he accepted two different deals to sign thousands of autographs. Manziel was in Miami, Florida as Notre Dame took on Alabama for the 2013 BCS National Championship game.
"This guy comes up behind me and was like, 'Yo how would you like to make three grand?' I turn around, and I'm like 'F*** yeah, bro.' I got like 65 bucks in my bank account. I'm waiting on that beginning of the month January stipend check." Manziel told Barstool. "So, I take this guy's number down, we're doing it all sneaky, we don't want to get caught. We're trying to learn from everybody else who got caught."
Manziel said he went to the man's apartment, where he was paid $3,000 to sign 10,000 autographs, 30 cents for each autograph. While he was there, Manziel said that another man approached him to tell him that he was getting ripped off, offering him the number of people that would pay him $30,000.
"I'm like, 'F***yeah man!' I'm making $3,000 then $30,000." Manziel said. "So, this guy is pretty much like, 'All right, go to this room at the Fontainebleau. All the stuff will be in there laid out, and when you're done, just send me a picture of all of it. I'll give you the code to the safe and the money will be in there.'"
The NCAA would later investigate the fact that Manziel got paid for signing up to 4,400 autographs in South Florida. The organization found that although Manziel violated the rules of name and likeness imagery at the time, he did not receive any money from the signatures. He was suspended for the first half of the first game of the season against Rice, which they won 52-31.
Unfortunately, during the time Manziel was in college it was prohibited for student athletes to receive financial gain for their name and likeness. However, the Supreme Court and NCAA will now allow college athletes to make money on their name and likeness through the University Interscholastic League legislation.
Manziel was recently on 'Behind the Vest with Druski' on the Clubhouse platform. During a panel conversation Manziel was asked if the UIL rule was in place back in 2011 through 2014, who would he have liked to partner with?
“Um that’s a good question. I always think back at the NIL especially right now, with these college kids making real bread,” said Manziel.
“If I had the opportunity to make some money like that in college, s*** I probably wouldn't have gone to the NFL. I would have made some money retired and got a farm somewhere.”
He also talked about athletes focusing on their personal brand and shared the advice he would give to other athletes.
“I think that was something I figured out a little too late. When I was in the NFL for me, I had this attitude which was like, 'Forget everybody and I try to do my thing.' Which was helping me stay mentally sane with all the crazy stuff that was going on. I didn’t really pay attention to what my brand was and branding in general until years down the road,” Manziel shared.
“My advice is that not everybody is in the same position as you are, there are going to be people that want to take your shine. There are people who are out to get you especially in today’s day and age. So, be selfish and protect your brand. It's your life, and name. It is your image, and it’s your career. So, you have to be a little selfish in that regard and people will say you are stuck up or whatever. They don’t understand what you have going on and what you have to lose.”
Manziel is currently in talks with Fan Controlled Football League about a possible return to football after an unsuccessful stint in both the NFL and in the Canadian Football League.
