A game-worn, Johnny Manziel home jersey from his Heisman Trophy-winning season is expected to fetch up to $100,000 at auction, according to SCP Auctions official Dan Imler. But who will catch the windfall is a matter of speculation.
Imler confirmed the auction with espn.com, but declined to say who will be smiling widest when the bidding war commences. Manziel not only signed the jersey, which he reportedly wore for every TAMU home game in 2012, but inscribed his statistics from that year on it, as well. Imler said his company vetted the source of the jersey carefully to ensure authenticity, and even matched it with photos based on wear and tear.
"This is his only game-used jersey from his college career that has come to market," he said.
The auction will be held online beginning Aug. 6, through Aug. 23, according to the report. Imler believes a Paul Hornung game-worn Notre Dame jersey that sold for about $27,000 is the record price for such memorabilia.
It all makes for an interesting backdrop to the Ed O'Bannon trial, which is expected to formally close within days when a judge rules whether NCAA athletes should be compensated for use of their names, images and likenessess. After all, the NCAA investigated Manziel himself for allegedly profiting from autograph signings while in college, in violation of the rule being scrutinized in the O'Bannon case.
For all anyone knows, the recipient of profits from the Manziel jersey auction could be anyone from Manziel himself to the guy who washes the Aggies' jerseys.
But whoever it is, there can be little doubt that the sale of college memorabilia is big business for someone.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
