Manziel cleared to play?

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The cloud hanging over Johnny Manziel’s season and possible ineligibility due to suspicion of accepting payment for autographs will be lifted in matter of days.

System chancellor John Sharp raised eyebrows when he spoke to KBTX in College Station after an event last Thursday, explaining that he "has seen things other folks can't see" and believes that the allegations "did not happen."

"I know he's innocent," Sharp told KBTX. "I know that he didn't do what they accused him of doing."

Jason Cook A&M's External Affairs director also Tweeted out an image Saturday of Johnny Manziel signing for fans at a university arranged signing on Saturday. This would seem like a bold move, right?

Why are they so confident? Now we know…

A source with involvement in discussions of high ranking A&M officials provided insight into a meeting in College Station earlier this past week which involved Chancellor John Sharp, President Loftin, Coach Sumlin, External Affairs Director Jason Cook, Athletic Director Eric Hyman, TAMU legal counsel and 3 NCAA officials. Most were present in the room, but some attended via teleconference.

The meeting was set up in response to A&M’s request of the NCAA to make a final decision prior to the start of the Aggie’s regular season opener Aug 28th.

In the meeting, the NCAA simply explained that through their investigation they were unable to find proof or even strong circumstantial evidence that Manziel accepted payment for signing memorabilia. They did caution that although this clears Johnny Manziel with regards to the ESPN OTL pay for sign reports, if “unforeseen” evidence were to surface they would open a new investigation.

I was also told the A&M plans to make an announcement prior to the opener this week confirming these discussions and Manziel’s eligibility for the season.

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