Johnny Manziel, parents securing an insurance policy

By Ben KerchevalMar 6, 2013, 11:53 AM EDT

Things are moving fast for Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. Six months ago, Manziel was just a redshirt freshman starting his first college game against Florida. Now, he’s the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and will undoubtedly have the largest target on his back when the 2013 season starts up next fall.

It’s no surprise then that Manziel is already thinking about his future. Speaking with reporters Tuesday following A&M’s practice — something he wasn’t permitted to do for much of last season — Manziel confirmed that he and his family are looking into securing an insurance policy in the event of an injury that would prevent him from playing in the pros.

“We’re currently in the process of doing that,” Manziel said. “It’s just a precaution. I think there’s a lot of players who have done it in the past and you never know what could happen. Football is a dangerous sport, so you kind of have to make sure that you take a precaution in that regard.”

Manziel added he didn’t know how much the policy would be worth.

He’s certainly not the first player to ever take out a policy, but it’s a bit baffling to think he could be entering the NFL draft one year from now. Following the 2013 season, Manziel, a redshirt sophomore, will have completed three years of college. That’s enough to technically make him eligible to depart.

Or, he could stay another two years if he wanted. Manziel hasn’t tipped his hand on what his future plans are and there’s really no way of knowing right now, but he’ll surely be asked about it this upcoming season. A lot, probably. That’s part of the territory for him now. So far, he’s handled the frenzy well. I wouldn’t expect this year to be much different.

(Hat tip: Sam Khan Jr., ESPN’s RecruitingNation)

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By John TaylorSep 27, 2016, 4:04 PM EDT

A report surfaced Monday that, in its search for a replacement for the deposed Les Miles, LSU was set to gauge the interest of a handful of big-name head coaches, among them Ohio State’s Urban Meyer.

With the opening of Big Ten play on tap for this weekend, the Buckeyes head coach wasted little time in shooting down the speculation connecting him to the Bayou Bengals.

“No, I’ve not been contacted,” Meyer said of LSU during the Big Ten’s weekly teleconference. “And I’m going to be the coach at Ohio State.”

Meyer is in his fifth season as the head coach at OSU, guiding the Buckeyes to a 53-4 mark in that span. For perspective, the Tigers have lost four of their last eight games, paving the way for unceremonious ouster and Meyer’s name being mentioned in connection to the opening.

Alabama’s Nick Saban was also mentioned as a coach who LSU would gauge his interest in the job.

Wazzu’s Shalom Luani won’t face charges stemming from assault

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By John TaylorSep 27, 2016, 3:53 PM EDT

After a very public back and forth between the police and university, Washington State has some (somewhat) positive off-field news on which to celebrate.

Monday, Whitman County (WA) prosecutor Denis Tracy announced that he will not file charges against Cougars safety Shalom Luani in connection to a fight outside of a Pullman Domino’s Pizza shop. Video evidence indicated that it was Luani who broke a man’s nose with a punch; however, the prosecutor stated that a jury would likely conclude that Luani, who claimed he was ambushed by six males who pushed him from inside the pizza shop outside and sustained a concussion in the scuffle, had acted in self-defense.

From Tracy’s letter to the alleged victim:

[I]n order to prove that a criminal assault happened, the prosecutor must not only prove that the suspect hit someone, but the prosecutor must also prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect was not acting in self defense.”

“In this case, it is my view that no reasonable jury could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Luani was not acting in self defense. …

“Since I cannot prove that Mr. Luani was not acting in self-defense. I cannot prove that he committed a criminal assault.

WSU athletic director Bill Moos, who along with the university’s president met with the chief of the Pullman Police Department earlier this month, issued a statement expressing his happiness over the prosecutor’s decision.

We are pleased that the prosecuting attorney’s office came to the same conclusion as we did regarding this case. While not always afforded the opportunity, I believe this illustrates the stance we have taken from the beginning which is to handle such matters internally, not speak in great detail, until the legal process has played out. Though we choose to reserve comment on such instances, we continue to cooperate with law enforcement, and assume innocent until proven guilty. We will not engage in public debate, rather, will let the legal process run its course, and as best we can gain an understanding of all the facts, without publicly acknowledging guilt or innocence prematurely. We will continue to educate our student-athletes on representing our fine university is a positive manner and also emphasize they remove themselves from situations that have the potential to impact them and the university negatively.

Luani started all 13 games for the Cougars last season after transferring from the junior college ranks, earning honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors. This season, he leads the team with two interceptions.