Roland Martin talks A&M football, Manziel, Sumlin, Te'o & more

Notes from Roland Martin interview

* There are some basic fundamental things that bother him about the Manti Te’o case. Te’o says he met his girlfriend after the Stanford game, but if he was so awestruck by her beauty, he would have surely taken a photo with her. Another thing that jumps out at him is the lack of phone records between Te’o and his girlfriend while she was in the hospital. He also wonders why Te’o did not request a funeral program or some sort of record from his girlfriend’s funeral. It’s hard to believe that Te’o was the victim of an elaborate hoax when things don’t add up on his end of things.

* The 2012 football season signaled a return to glory for the Texas A&M football program. A lot of young Aggies forget how dominant A&M was in the late 80s and early 90s. At the end of the day, no matter what conference you’re in, winning cures everything. If you want the attention and accolades, the only way to do it is to win more games. In order to become a true national power, this can’t be a one-and-done thing and must continue into 2013 and beyond.

* His initial concerns about moving to the SEC included losing tradional rivalries and the travel impact on the fanbase. The Big 12 has played in seven BCS title games since they began, so if the goal was always to play for a national championship, he never believed that going to the SEC was crucial to doing so. He has not changed his opinion on whether A&M should have left the Big 12, but is certainly glad to see A&M having success in the SEC.

* He believes that conference realignment has not concluded yet and that the NCAA is on the path to forming superconferences. He is concerned with the way money is driving college football because it’s making the game lose its essence by dropping a bunch of great rivalries.

* When presented with questions about how Kevin Sumlin has impacted the African-American community’s relationship with A&M, he likes to remind people that A&M has had an African-American head coach in both women’s and men’s basketball before. The reality is that a university as large as A&M is a microcosm of a larger society, and there will always be issues that deal with gender and race. He is glad with the strides Sumlin and the university have made in the African-American community.

* He was supporting Johnny Manziel in his Heisman campaign on Twitter every single day. The most important thing about Manziel is the infectious attitude he brings to the football program and the school as a whole. Manziel plays the game the way people hope it will be played where it’s not all about the NFL money, but rather the joy and passion you get from playing and winning.