Report: NCAA questions Manziel at length
NCAA investigators questioned Texas AM quarterback Johnny Manziel on Sunday regarding allegations that he accepted payments for autographs, ESPN.com reported Monday.
A source told ESPN.com that NCAA officials met with Manziel for nearly six hours on the Texas A&M campus.
It was unclear whether the NCAA will have additional meetings with Manziel, a redshirt sophomore who won the Heisman Trophy last season.
Earlier this month, ESPN had reported that multiple autograph dealers said Manziel accepted payments to sign more than 4,000 items including footballs and photographs.
ESPN.com was told on Saturday night that things "seemed to be OK" regarding Manziel's playing status and that it was "business as usual, or as close as possible" going into the team's first game week.
On Monday, Manziel was listed as the starter on Texas A&M's game notes, and he is scheduled to start Saturday's opener against Rice.
Manziel has continued to practice with the team, despite questions about whether A&M would allow him to play if the investigations have not been resolved, according to the Dallas Morning News.
On Monday night, Aggie athletic director Eric Hyman instructed anyone associated with the football program not to discuss the status of the Aggies' "starting quarterback."
"The focus of our coaches and student-athletes is solely on preparing for Rice this Saturday, and in the best interests of Texas A&M and the 100-plus student-athletes on the team, I have instructed Coach (Kevin) Sumlin, his staff and our student-athletes to refrain from commenting on or answering questions regarding the status of our starting quarterback, Johnny Manziel," the statement read.
The Manziels' attorney, Jim Darnell, was asked if he had been told that Manziel would start on Saturday. Darnell said that he could not answer the question, nor would he comment on the status of the investigation.
