Johnny Manziel Autograph Scandal: USC WR Marqise Lee Cleared of Wrongdoing

The Johnny Manziel autograph saga has been well-publicized.  Johnny Football and Texas A&M have had to deal with the scrutiny surrounding it since last week.

Tuesday, though, that controversy threatened another player and his team, star USC WR Marqise Lee.

It was reported by Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times that Lee had been investigated for possible NCAA infractions regarding the same autograph-signing session in Miami before the national title game that Manziel is coming under fire for.

The investigation revealed that there had been no wrongdoing on Lee's part.  The impetus for the investigation had been the discovery of items with Lee's autograph on them being offered up for sale online.

It was discovered that Lee had signed several objects of memorabilia at the signing session for someone he thought was simply a fan.  With the conclusion of the investigation, USC is sending a cease-and-desist letter to the seller of the items.

USC acted wisely in quickly undertaking an investigation into the matter and then taking necessary actions to close the issue.

While it may seem like just a minor issue, it could have pulled USC into the fiasco surrounding Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M, so the quick actions on USC's part cut off a possible ugly issue before it could even develop.

The Trojans now have no need to worry about their returning Biletnikoff Award winner's eligibility and can focus on getting him and the entire team ready for the season instead.