The pen is mightier than the suspension.

Reading this story about the suspension that almost drove Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M, I don’t know if I should give the school credit for having the stones to suspend a player for a year after an arrest for fighting and possession of fake IDs (even in Athens I don’t think the penalty would have been that severe), or shrug it off for backing down after getting a “the kid’s suffered enough by my hand” letter from his head coach.

But it sure would be interesting to see what the official reaction would be if he did it again.

18 Comments

Filed under Crime and Punishment

18 responses to “The pen is mightier than the suspension.

  1. DawgPhan

    I suspect that there are a lot of people around the south east waiting to see someone lay the wood on Johnny Football.

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    • Beer Money

      Maybe I am in the minority here, but I hope Saban’s bunch breaks him in half come that (overly) hyped game in College Station. And based on last year’s results, something tells me they will.

      I am no Saban fan, but I have respect for him. The A&M program is getting to be a circus.

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  2. Go Dawgs!

    Well, the penalty wasn’t that severe in College Station, either. You don’t score points on the punishment if you don’t actually carry it out. It would have been overkill for those offenses, but instead the kid didn’t even miss a single game. No, I’m putting Texas A&M’s disciplinary philosophy in the same pile as Tennessee’s.

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    • mdcgtp

      I agree with this and Gravidy’s comment below. It would require too much work on my part to confirm, but I think Sumlin had already named him the starter in spring practice, which was a bit of a surprise at the time (maybe not the choice of Manziel but the timing of such). That would lead me to believe that the leniency was based on the need to have him on the field. Had he lost the job in spring, perhaps he would not have paid the price in summer….My B.S. meter for Sumlin is now pegged a LOT higher!

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    • Comin' Down The Track

      Also, South Crackalacki and FU.

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  3. Gravidy

    While a season-long suspension for his offense would have been uncalled for, no suspension at all was uncalled for as well. You can bet your sweet ass he would’ve been suspended for a game or two in Athens.

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  4. ThePetis

    I lost respect for Sumlin and his “discipline” at the beginning of last season. He had a few players suspended for the first game vs. Louisiana Tech. Well, that game got postponed due to weather. The next week, they had Florida on the schedule. All those players got to play because they were suspended for the Louisiana Tech game, not the 1st game of the season.

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    • Macallanlover

      Very “florida-ish” wasn’t it? I generally like Sumlin as a coach but have to agree, his impersonation of Spurrier and Urbie was very impressive for an SEC “newbie”.

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  5. uglydawg

    The SEC needs to set rules…uniform rules for every school. If a school is caught covering up or skirting a rule they should be hammered by the conference. This is only fair. Schools that practice integrity are at a disadvantage to the ones who wink at mischief.

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    • Mayor of Dawgtown

      +1.

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    • chatlottedawg

      But, but, isn’t virtue it’s own reward? We’re trying to mold young men here at Georgia not win football games. Who cares if our policies handicap us on the Gridiron? It is totally worth it because I can sleep better knowing my alma mater’s student athletes are held “accountable”. I’m sure the reason Sanford stadium is packed is because fans want to see model citizens at work not because they want to see the red and black kick the ass of whoever was dumb enough to line up opposite them.

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      • cube

        +1

        I too enjoy being able to stand on our imagined moral high ground and stick my chest out. Those other schools will look up to us when they realize how we blazed the trail for the rest of the conference.

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      • uglydawg

        The way things are now is worthy of all of our ire…things are un-level….but you can level ground by adding dirt or taking away dirt.

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  6. AusDawg85

    You folks don’t have the proper perspective. Trust me…it WAS punishment for little Johnny to have to stay in College Station. (I’m sure D in F can insert a Rick Perry as Yell Leader photo here to prove my point.)

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