The news of Texas A&M football coach Dennis Franchione's secret newsletter caused a seismic quake in Aggieland last week, rivaling the Larry Craig bathroom stall as the “what the hell” moment of the last few months.
The information in the newsletter — which was kept from the media and distributed to select program boosters for a considerable $1,200 annual fee — included insight to everything from game plans to top-secret injury reports.

Franchione profited nearly $38,000 in the operation throughout its existence.

Athletics director Bill Byrne, Franchione's boss, considered it an “embarrassment” and didn't even know about the “VIP Connection” newsletter until it was disclosed by a San Antonio Express-News report three weeks ago. Byrne said on Oct. 11 that the incident would be reflected in Franchione's review at the end of the season (translation: he's screwed).

The good news for Fran right now is that it could have been worse ..... really.

An investigation into Franchione's newsletter by Texas A&M tentatively cleared him of any ties to sports wagering, stating that no recipient of the newsletter engaged in any sports wagering activities.

If this had happened, then the scandal would swell to a steroids-injected Barry Bonds level. But A&M's early investigation doesn't mean the issue is dead.

There is still plenty of time for it to leak out that somebody did use this information for wagering. There were 27 people signed up to receive the newsletter, which is a lot of people to trust.

Most on the list are business professionals who already have money coming out of their armpits, but this is exactly the type of information that can create a edge against the sports books.

Serious sports bettors risk serious money, and it's not uncommon to see bets on any particular sporting event for $5,000 or more. With tremendous wagers such as this, the $1,200 price tag for injury information is capable of paying huge dividends.

And the “VIP Connection” was filled to brim with injury reports on a weekly basis.

Other areas of concern for A&M and the sports wagering probe could involve third parties. Even though the 27 recipients may have stayed away from gambling activities, that doesn't mean they didn't forward the information to somebody that was for an upfront fee or cut of the action.

It would be a crafty way to recoup the $1,200 annual fee by selling weekly newsletters for $250 a pop.

No coach in the history of college football has ever been tied to a gambling probe. Franchione may be able to (at least temporarily) put his mind at ease on this issue, but the danger lurks.

A guilty finding would not only be Franchione's end at A&M, but perhaps a permanent banishment from the college football world altogether.

Chuck Blount | 210SA Contributor