While MLB deals with incredibly bad press for many of its star players, the NCAA is dealing with a smaller scale crisis of its own-players profiting from autographs.
Luckily for two of college football's brightest lights, Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina) and Braxton Miller (Ohio State), the NCAA has ruled them clear of wrongdoing.
They came under suspicion after memorabilia adorned by their signatures turned up for sale online. Both athletic directors have supported their players strongly. Ohio State AD Gene Smith said "We talked to Braxton, the whole thing, and there's nothing there." South Carolina's AD made an even stronger endorsement of his player saying, "I really believe Jadeveon has never accepted anything for signing an autograph."
Clowney is one of the premier talents in all of college football, far and away the biggest star on the defensive side of the ball on the whole college landscape. Clowney, known for his brutal hit on Michigan running back Vincent Smith last season that popped the Woverine's helmet off his head, is expected to be the top pick in next year's NFL Draft.
He's such a nice guy; Marcus Lattimore was the same way," Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier said of Clowney. "They signed almost everything. Some guy will say my kid has a mom has cancer. You get all kinds of stories to get them to sign and they hate to say no. And I've usually told both of them, 'Tell them Coach Spurrier says they can't sign, it's against the rules.' But the little kids and whatever -- they're going to sign."
While these two stars have been cleared, the biggest celebrity in the college game still has a potential eligibility situation hanging over his head. Johnny Manziel, a.k.a. Johnny Football, is accused of accepting $7,500 from an autograph broker to sign hundreds of mini-helmets and other memorabilia.
Manziel has denied these charges, and the NCAA is looking into the incident.
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