Manziel still mum week after NCAA probe's end

Source: San Antonio Express-NewsSept.儲存倉 04--COLLEGE STATION -- Texas A&M has long employed the credo, "From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can't explain it."Aggies all over, who've long enjoyed an "us against the world" approach concerning their school's unique traditions, will be pleased to know their second-year football coach is now a full-fledged believer. Based on Kevin Sumlin's revelation Tuesday, he doesn't mind a barrage of outside criticism of his flamboyant sophomore quarterback -- or anything else concerning his program."I'm not going to complain about it," Sumlin said. "It's kind of putting up a wall between us and everybody else."A&M put up a wall between the flashy quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel and the media starting a month ago Wednesday with the disclosure by ESPN that the NCAA was investigating whether Manziel profited from signing memorabilia for brokers.The NCAA and A&M announced a week ago Manziel was guilty only of an "inadvertent violation," and he was suspended for the first two quarters of No. 7 A&M's eventual 52-31 victory over Rice on Saturday. The Heisman winner didn't attend the post-game news conference, however, and he also wasn't a part of Tuesday's weekly news conference, with Sam Houston State on tap starting at 6 p.m. Saturday."There's a lot to it, and it's not just my decision what goes on with that," Sumlin said, trying to explain his quarterback's absence from the media gatherings. "Now is not the time. Will there be a time? Sure, there will be."A media horde is crossing its collective fingers that time is by next week, ahead of the most anticipated regular-season game in Kyle Field's history -- when top-ranked Alabama comes calling Sept. 14. A&M senior associate athletic director Jason Cook further explained why A&M has decided to run its own version of the quarterback keeper -- and why some things old (at least from a year ago) are suddenly new again."We've been clear since all of the NCAA issues broke that it's been a 'team' approach to the situation," said Cook, who then cited Sumlin's policy of not allowing freshmen to visit wi迷你倉價錢h the media during their first regular season. "Johnny didn't talk to the media once last year, and he won the Heisman Trophy."Andrea Duke, an adjunct professor at Trinity University who owns a doctorate in sports communication, offered two primary observations from an outsiders' perspective as to why A&M is perhaps keeping its quarterback under wraps, when the rest of the nation's star players are typically available to the media on a regular basis."To put the focus on the team and not Manziel, because his responsibility is to the team," Duke said. "And to keep him focused on his 'job.' If he's influenced by media ideals or opinions, then he could be affected mentally -- they're trying to shield him from the chatter."Manziel only played five series against the Owls, but he threw three touchdown passes in eight attempts and, following one play, appeared to sign his name in the air toward an equally chatty Rice defender. Manziel later received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following a touchdown for taunting an Owls player, and Sumlin pulled him from the game."If you look back at the events of Saturday, it was a volatile situation, and with the way the game ended, I don't think that was a time for him or ... anybody," Sumlin said of Manziel's absence from the media room following the game. "Will there be a time for him to talk? You bet."Meanwhile, senior running back Ben Malena said Tuesday the team doesn't care what anyone outside the program thinks -- the players love their dynamic quarterback."What's perceived from the outside world is, nine times out of 10, a complete (180) from the way the team looks at it," Malena said. "(Notoriety) comes with this -- and you want to have a defending Heisman Trophy winner as your quarterback."Perhaps Duke summed up the prevalent quiet best -- from the perspective of insider and outsider alike."Johnny Manziel's reputation can be redeemed on the field," the professor said."That's where it matters."bzwerneman@express-news.netTwitter: @brentzwernemanCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the San Antonio Express-News Visit the San Antonio Express-News at .mysanantonio.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉