By GUERIN EMIG Sports Writer on Aug 28, 2013, at 4:17 PM Updated on 8/28 at 4:17 PM
OU SPORTS
You figured this might be a big week for Oklahoma well before the season ever began.
Last July cornerback Aaron Colvin ...
Officials reviewed the targeting penalty called against Oklahoma safety Gabe Lynn last Saturday against Tulsa and determined ...
3 to thrive at Saturday's Oklahoma-Tulsa game:
1 – Damien Williams
TU didn't have much luck defending the run ...
Hotshot young quarterback gets in big, big trouble right as football practice starts. Jeopardizes his entire program by attracting an NCAA investigation. This was Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M 3½ weeks ago.
This was Rhett Bomar at Oklahoma seven years ago.
I made an immediate connection back to Bomar when the Manziel story first broke. Today, as we learned that A&M is sitting its Heisman winner for one half of the season-opening devouring of Rice, it's obvious that was a mistake.
There is a huge difference between the two cases, and it's sitting in a dusty box a few feet behind me as a type this blog: evidence.
Because Bomar broke NCAA rules at a reputable business complete with payroll and accounting staffers – the Norman car dealership Big Red Sports & Imports – investigators discovered a paper trail. I have the same documents in my office that detectives poured over. OU released them to media outlets after the case closed, the university was put on probation and Bomar was kicked off the team.
He was booted after being caught red-handed, and, when confronted, lying to superiors who included Bob Stoops.
Manziel took the same nothing-to-see-here route for a defense. Only this time, there really wasn't anything to see. Unlike Bomar, Manziel worked in the shadows. No payroll. No accounting. No paper trail.
The black market autograph business might be shady, but it ain't stupid. Same as Manziel.
Unlike Bomar, whose life turned upside down when he went awry of the rules, he plays on.
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