Aug 17, 2013 10:32 AM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

While Johnny Manziel waits to hear of his fate from the NCAA and their investigation into whether or not he accepted payment for autographs, he will have his school in his corner, ESPN reported.

Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman told members of the school's booster organization, 12th Man Foundation, in an email saying they were doing everything they could to support the Heisman winner.

"Everyone wants to know the status of our quarterback, Johnny Manziel," Hyman wrote. "As we have stated previously, our practice is to not discuss such matters publicly. Our foremost priority, regardless of the circumstances, is to protect and support our student-athletes while also upholding the integrity of the University and complying with NCAA rules and regulations."

ESPN's "Outside the Lines" (OTL) previously reported a fourth autograph dealer came forward to say he worked with Manziel. By a rough estimate, OTL said the young quarterback had signed about 4,400 items in the span of a month.

While that is irregular for a college athlete, it is not illegal if he did not accept payment for it. Various sources told OTL Manziel had been paid for his signature, but none have said they witnessed the exchange of payment.

"There simply is no blueprint for handling what Johnny and his family have gone through since December," the email continues," Hyman wrote. "What we have done is surround Johnny with a support network of dedicated staff from the areas of administration, academics, scheduling, compliance, media relations, and even security to assist him during these unprecedented times."

It is fairly common for college athletes to sign memorabilia at games and public events, but Manziel's were often done in private, a hotel room or a residence. In fact, many signature of college athletes, not just Manziel's have appeared on eBay.

The University of South Carolina recently looked into whether its star defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney did anything wrong, as did Louisville with QB Teddy Bridgewater. Neither school found any fault with their players.

"Texas A&M also has retained the services of one of the most respected legal firms in the country, Lightfoot, Franklin & White, to assist us," Hyman wrote. "Any decisions we make regarding this situation will be based on an analysis of available facts. Be assured that we would like to reach a resolution as quickly as possible, but at this stage, we are not in a position to speculate on a specific timeline."

Manziel's signatures are also strikingly uniform, Sean Morgan, owner of Famous Ink, a sports marketing and memorabilia company. Morgan said he avoids working with college athletes, but still has observed their signature patterns.

He said others' will appear on the market with different colors, in different spots of an item, but Manziel's are all the same.

As ESPN previously reported, the NCAA can punish Manziel without proof of accepting money. A bylaw states a student-athlete must do anything they can to stop the sale of items bearing their name, likeness or image.

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