“Registration is refused because the applied-for mark consists of or includes a name, portrait, or signature identifying a particular living individual whose written consent to register the mark is not of record,” the examining attorney wrote. To make the case, the attorney attached articles that referred to Manziel as “Johnny Football.”

The investment firm, based in College Station, Texas, filed for the trademark on Nov. 1, 2012, as Manziel rose to prominence in the town, and throughout the country, as Texas A&M’s star quarterback. Manziel’s organization, JMAN2 Enterprises, filed for the trademark three months later.

Shockingly, the role Texas A&M played in the rise of Manziel’s market value played no part in the deliberations.  Maybe the NCAA should sue for a share of the royalties.

Seriously, is there a better example of the sketchy limits of the amateurism standard than this?