A&M System Chancellor John Sharp comes to Johnny Manziel's aid, criticizing ESPN's coveage

Source: The Eagle, Bryan, TexasAug.迷你倉新蒲崗 23--Within 30 minutes of being released Wednesday night, a newsletter in which Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp reiterated his support of Johnny Manziel and criticized an ESPN reporter's coverage of the star quarterback had gone viral online.The online newsletter -- which was emailed at 8 p.m. Wednesday to members of the Chancellor's Century Council -- was quickly picked up and shared by major news outlets throughout the state and country, as well as sports bloggers, in Aggie forums and by social media users.For the most part, the trending stories and blog posts about the letter focused on the chancellor's comments pointing to reporting done by ESPN's Darren Rovell, who broke the story about accusations that Manziel had sold his autographs, which led to a NCAA investigation of the allegations that remains ongoing."Darren Rovell of ESPN, who broke this story, has been duped before. During his report on Johnny Manziel, he cites unnamed sources who refuse to provide an interview or any tangible proof. In fact, his 'named source,' Drew Tieman (initially referred to as the broker), was reportedly booked twice for possession of marijuana and placed on four years probation. He has taken down his Facebook page, changed his telephone number and is refusing attempts to be interviewed by the NCAA. It is surprising that the nation's largest sports channel would support publication with this lack of corroboration," Sharp stated in the letter.An ESPN spokesman Thursday issued a statement in response to the chancellor's newsletter, saying: "We stand by our reporting."Sharp also wrote in the letter that university officials have had "ongoing and productive dialogue with the NCAA during their investigation" and that he is "confident that we'll once again exceed expectations during our second season in the SEC."When The Eagle caught up with Sharp at an unrelated media event Thursday, the chancellor stood by his comments in the newsletter backing Manziel, but declined to elabora迷你倉出租e on any discussions with the NCAA or possible knowledge on the outcome of the investigation."That stuff is above my pay grade," he said.While he wouldn't offer his thoughts on whether Manziel would be playing this season, assuming the NCAA investigation is still pending, Sharp did make his stance on the situation clear."There's zero doubt in my mind that Johnny Manziel is innocent," Sharp said. "He's a lot nicer than I am, I don't think I would have handled it as well as he has. None of us would want our sons to go through what he's had to."Steve Moore, spokesman for the A&M System, said as of Thursday afternoon he hadn't heard from anyone with ESPN concerning the newsletter.The Chancellor's Century Council consists of 256 memberships, though tallying the total number of members is difficult as a couple or family can register under one membership, Moore said.Joining the organization costs $1,000 for basic membership or $2,500 or more to be part of the "Chancellor's Cabinet," and money collected goes toward funding programs such as the Regents Professors & Fellows Service Awards as well as paying for the annual council meeting and the Chancellor's Student Advisory Council.Moore said being a part of the Council -- which is open to anyone interested in higher education, not just Aggies or those associated with the Texas A&M System -- provides members with an opportunity to receive updates on the system and the ability to voice suggestions or ideas of their own before decisions are made.Sharp dedicated the first four paragraphs of the newsletter, with the exception of the introduction, to the Manziel situation and Aggie football before he went on to discuss the university's return -on-investment ranking and concluded with:"The value can only grow as we continue to show the world that we are the best institution of higher education in the United States. Welcome to the SEC!"Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Eagle (Bryan, Texas) Visit The Eagle (Bryan, Texas) at .theeagle.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存倉