FanPost

New info from the SOURCES!!1 on Johnny "nearly transferring"

Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

I hate to have to post this because I have a fairly decent case of tweetgate fatigue. I long for the days gone by (7 days to be exact) before this entire event started…and before the entire sporting world decided to center their ire/scorn/scrutiny on our plucky young QB from Kerrville TX.

To put things into perspective, the following news events have happened this week that have gotten less run than Johnny’s tweet:

  • Serena Williams insinuated that the young lady in the middle of the Steubenville rape trial deserves some share of the blame
  • Three Naval Academy football players were charged with rape

I’m sure there are others, but the above two are a pretty big deal…yet those were significantly overshadowed (or at least got less run) by Johnny saying something that 70-80% of College Station residents have said in their lifetime.

Anyways. Back to the point.

Johnny's tweet started the craziness. Then Kate Hairopoulos chimed in with her article stating that Johnny "nearly transferred" and was "suspended for the season". Brent Zwerneman clarified that Johnny's tweet was over a parking ticket (a fact first broken by our own cuppycup), and also reiterated Hairopolous's point that Johnny nearly transferred because he was "suspended for the season" (please imagine me doing finger air quotes when i say that). All of them cited vague, unspecific "inside sources", my feelings on which are documented here.

Semantics matter. And I'm a bit surprised that neither one took the time to familiarize themselves with the Texas A&M Student Rules in an effort to provide their readers with a clear understanding of the process leading to Johnny's punishment.

Fortunately enough we have the Texas Monthly who also had "inside sources"...named Johnny Manziel, Michelle Manziel (Johnny's mom), and Dr. Anne Reber (Dean of Student Life at Texas A&M). Remarkable how much clarity you can get when you go directly to the sources and make an effort to provide a clear narrative of exactly what happened isn't it?

Based on the Texas Monthly Articles, below is a timeline for the events that transpired during the Summer of 2012.

  • Friday June 29-Johnny arrested for fighting
  • Saturday August 4-Fall camp starts
  • Monday August 6-Johnny has a conduct hearing in front a 3 person panel, resulting in conduct probation (not a suspension). Conduct probation, according to the TAMU student rules, results in a student being unable to participate in athletics as well as being unable to receive university scholarships.
  • Wednesday August 8-Johnny meets with his parents and coaches to put together an appeal. He is still allowed to continue participating in athletics pending the decision of the appeal (this was a confusing point in the first iteration of the article...it originally read as if Johnny was out of spring drills for 7 days while his appeal was being decided--again, kudos to Texas Monthly for clarifying).
  • Friday August 10-Johnny submits his appeal
  • Tuesday August 14-Dr. Anne Reber overturns the original decision of conduct probation
  • Wednesday August 15-Johnny is named your FIGHTIN TEXAS AGGIE QB

I hate to be a broken record, but semantics matter. At no point in time was Johnny "suspended" for the season. And to clarify even further, Michelle Manziel provided this nugget as well:

She adds that neither she nor her husband Paul nor Johnny seriously considered transferring to another college during this time (that only would have happened had Manziel lost the appeal).

I'd like for you to read that again

She adds that neither she nor her husband Paul nor Johnny seriously considered transferring to another college during this time (that only would have happened had Manziel lost the appeal).

Mrs. Manziel's statement is different than the one that was (carelessly) tossed out to the national media--Johnny did not "nearly transfer". Nor was he "nearly JUCO bound". The quote reads as if he would have considered it had the appeal not been granted. Sure it leaves room for interpretation as to whether he would have "seriously considered" or actually transferred had the appeal been denied, but that quote doesnt scream "nearly transferred" or "nearly JUCO bound" to me.

So there you have it. I feel better. Let's hope that this ties a nice little bow on the entire situation and that we can finally steer away from the falsity of "ZOMG JOHNNY HATES COLLEGE STATION AND CANT WAIT TO LEAVE AND ALMOST DID SAD FACE" and move onto the football season.

Please dear sweet football gods make August come quickly.

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