It’s not often that sports are featured on the cover of a prestigious magazine like Time, so when they do, especially in the midst of something like the ever-developing situation in Syria, it’s probably a big deal. It probably shouldn’t come as much surprise that one of sports’ biggest lightning rods has landed on the cover of an upcoming issue.
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will be featured on the cover of the Sept. 6 issue of the historic magazine. Fittingly, a picture of the polarizing quarterback doing the Heisman Trophy pose is accompanied with the headline “It’s Time to Pay College Athletes.”
There’s probably no better jumping-off object than Manziel for any sort of discussion about paying college athletes. Manziel was recently at the center of an NCAA investigation about whether or not he signed autographs for money, which would be a violation. The NCAA eventually disciplined Manziel, but he was only suspended for one half of the team’s opening game last weekend.
“Actors, actresses — these people can sign things and get paid for it. How come this kid can’t?” Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson told Time. “How come a kid that’s at a high level, that’s going to be offered a big amount of money, can’t sit down and be like, ‘Damn, this is my decision?”
See a photo of the cover below.
