Heisman Race 2013: Jameis Winston Sexual Assault, Johnny Manziel Scandal Puts Focus On Trophy Integrity Clause

The Heisman race in 2013 is wide open with news reports saying Jameis Winston’s sexual assault investigation could hold him up. Combine that with losses by Johnny Manziel and Marcus Mariota and you can see why there’s no obvious front runner.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the 2012 Heisman Trophy went to Johnny Manziel, setting a new record since he was the first freshman ever to receive the football award.

Not too many people realize the Heisman Trophy is not all about football performance. The Heisman race 2013 could be decided largely by the “integrity clause” because so many of the front-runners have been breaking the rules. (Apparently, these guys are not the next Tim Tebow…)

Even though he’s a defending champ, Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel did not even have a chance at the 2013 Heisman race even before he took his first snap of the season. Manziel drew Heisman voter rebukes amid allegations he took money for signing memorabilia against NCAA rules. They even questioned him for six straight hours of the alleged autographs and he was eventually suspended by the NCAA. But even if Johnny football didn’t have these issues recent losses probably would take away his chance at a second Heisman trophy.

The investigation into the alleged Jameis Winston sexual assault of a woman was not supposed to be announced publicly until the police finished looking into the matter. The case took a turn when it was revealed that Winston’s DNA was confirmed to be found in a pair of the woman’s underwear. No charges have been made and so far police say they can only confirm that the woman was indeed with Winston, but not whether a sexual assault took place.

Do you think the Heisman race in 2013 should be determined by solely football performance or should the integrity clause be an overriding factor?