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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Welcome to my secret e-mail newsletter, the Not-So-VIP Connection.

The best part? It's free, natch.

All kidding aside, it's been a long, strange week in Aggieland all because of some e-mails.

There is nothing funny about a coach saying he will not resign and the university launching an investigation to determine whether said coach violated NCAA rules with a secret e-mail newsletter.

Tuesday will go down as a defining day in coach Dennis Franchione's stay at Texas A&M. It could have been the day Franchione galvanized the entire football program. Or, it was the first day Franchione officially started walking down the path that leads to his dismissal.

Saturday's game against Oklahoma State is big for several reasons. The Aggies (4-1, 1-0 Big 12) and Cowboys (3-2, 1-0) meet with first place in the Big 12 South up for grabs. But it's also the first opportunity Franchione has to lead his team back into Kyle Field with hopes of impressing 80,000 fans.

Considering everything that's gone on in the last two weeks, A&M needs to beat OSU in the worst way possible. Without a doubt, it will be one of Franchione's biggest games at A&M.

"You reach those kind of moments in a season, but you don't really know until you look back when they were," Franchione said. "Obviously, it could be. But usually, at the end of a season, you can define something like that. Your definition might not be the same as mine which moment that was.

"But certainly, I'm glad this has come and gone and I want this to be about the players and not about me. That's really all that matters, how we do for them and what we do for them."

The players made a strong show of support Tuesday. Quarterback Stephen McGee and linemen Kirk Elder and Chris Harrington notified all the players that there was an impromptu team meeting at 11:45 a.m.

When everyone was assembled, the players marched into Hagner Auditorium in unison and applauded when Franchione entered the room.

"Coach Fran is a guy that continually, no matter what anybody says, works his tail off and gives us the very best chance to win every week," McGee said. "A lot of people don't understand that he's up here at 6 in the morning and doesn't go home until 12:30 at night. That's just the kind of leader he is."

McGee's actions are noble. But his actions on the field will carry more weight than anything he could ever say. If these players truly want to support Fran, they'll go out and win games, not give rah-rah speeches.

If the Aggies could somehow win the South, all the VIPs would be ecstatic.

Q: I hope that the AD's office and the NCAA compliance officer will get in high gear and complete their investigation as soon as possible. If the newsletters proved not to have constituted any violation of school or NCAA policy, it will be time for everyone to shut up and let the team move on.

Mack, Class of '57, Crisfield, Md.

DAVIS: A&M interim president Ed Davis said in a statement Tuesday that the university has launched an investigation into the "VIP" e-mails. Media relations director Alan Cannon said the compliance office is trying to get each and every e-mail written by Mike McKenzie, Franchione's personal assistant.

From the ones I've seen, there isn't much to worry about. McKenzie did refer to a recruit who committed to Michigan instead of A&M in one e-mail written in December, 2004. Talking about recruits is a big no-no. The NCAA may not think it's a big deal, because the newsletter was sent to a small group who kept it private (until now, of course). Some e-mails refer to injury information, which may have violated federal privacy laws. That wouldn't have anything to do with the NCAA, though. Again, based on only the ones I've seen, A&M could be looking at secondary violations, which are considered minor. Every school commits secondary violations all the time with little consequence.

Athletic director Bill Byrne said in his weekly Internet column that he hoped to have the entire investigation wrapped up by week's end. "We will keep you as informed as we possibly can when we can," Byrne wrote. If that happened, that would be awfully impressive. Running an internal investigation, collecting three years worth of e-mails, reading all of it to determine what rules were broken and formulating a response all within days? That's what I call efficiency.

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Q: It is my strong feeling that the VIP newsletter subscription money is NOT being used to maintain Franchione's Web site, which begs the question, what IS it being used for and what ELSE might the newsletter subscribers be doing in support of Coach Fran?

Tim

DAVIS: The money is what makes this story so incredible. Coaches have always had to keep certain boosters involved and up to date. But when you put a price tag on injury information and insider secrets, it just seems slimy. Twelve hundred dollars? Incredible. I can tell you this. I'll be shocked if Seriously Clued Consulting, the Bryan, Texas, company that runs CoachFran.com, charges $14,000 or $15,000 to maintain the site. If that's what the company was indeed charging, Franchione was getting robbed blind. I could find you a dozen companies that would do it cheaper and probably include more bells and whistles.

If the money was used simply to supplement McKenzie's income, then Fran should have just said that up front. Nobody really knows yet. I'm betting that the money issue is addressed when A&M announces the results of its investigation. I just can't see a coach who makes $2 million a year worried about a few thousand dollars.

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Q: What are the facts about Franchione's buyout clause in his contract?

Kenneth, Class of '86, Fort Worth

DAVIS: A lot of people have asked what it would cost A&M to simply buy Fran out of his contract, which runs through 2012. There have been a lot of media reports speculating the same thing, and I've heard financial figures that are all over the board. So for the sake of argument, let's look at Fran's deal.

First off, many of you have pointed out that Fran may have violated terms of his contract by simply approving the secret newsletter and charging $1,200 in subscription fees. Under the duties and obligations portion of Fran's contract, section 2.3.c states the coach will not "engage in any business transactions or commerce, or personal action or appear on any radio or television programs, that may cause discredit to the university." Section 2.3.d states that the coach will not knowingly engage in, support or tolerate actions that violate Big 12 or NCAA rules. Fran's critics can look at both of those clauses and determine he did violate the terms of his deal.

Now, according to the termination section of Franchione's deal, the university doesn't have to pay a dime if it's determined he violated the terms. If A&M terminates the deal without cause, the school is on the hook for the buyout. As I read the contract, section 5.4 states that A&M would owe Fran the sum of $141,667.00 for each month remaining on his contract. The last five years alone would cost about $8.5 million.

Think about that for a few seconds. That's a ton of cash just to get rid of the football coach. That's why it's in everybody's best interests that the Aggies keep winning. Fran gets to look like a hero. The A&M board of regents don't have to bite down and pull the trigger. A&M doesn't have to spend another arm and a leg to change coaches, hire new assistants and shower the new staff with extravagant luxuries. And fans don't have to bear the burden of higher ticket prices. In the end, fans always end up paying more.

• • •

Q: Byrne wasn't at the press conference, right? Some show of support.

Tom

DAVIS: No, Bill Byrne was not at Tuesday's news conference. He was flying to Washington for a fundraising dinner with local A&M fans. The dinner was held Wednesday night at a sports bar in nearby Arlington, Va. In a 20-minute talk, Byrne did not address Franchione's job status, the e-mail hubbub or the investigation. The organizer with the Washington D.C. A&M Club told me the dinner was originally scheduled for the summer but had to be pushed back because of scheduling conflicts. So yes, it was unfortunate timing.

But I wonder if Byrne would have skipped the news conference anyway. If he shows up, it appears as if he's giving Fran a strong show of support. That wouldn't jive with his "we evaluate coaches at the end of the year" comments. Remember, Byrne has to cater to both sides – those who want Fran gone and those who want him to stay.

Interesting side note: Byrne didn't stay at a hotel in D.C. He slept at Robert Gates' house. Gates is the current defense secretary and former A&M president. One can only imagine what they talked about until the wee hours of the morning.

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Q: I am an A&M alum, and I read your article and I read Mr. Byrne's comments this week, and I have to say, his response is a nothing response. I am not only sick to death of Dennis Franchione, but I am sick to death of Bill Byrne's meaningless rhetoric about the performance of our football team, for which he is ultimately responsible.

Matt, Class of '02

DAVIS: Byrne didn't exactly show Franchione a lot of love in his statement on Tuesday.

"I want to reinforce to members of the media and to our outstanding Aggie fans, I will not discuss matters pertaining to head coaches during their seasons," Byrne wrote. "Everyone who knows me, and that includes our coaching staff, understands my goals and expectations. I look forward to working with Coach Fran as our head football coach as we get ready to BTHO of Oklahoma State."

As I mentioned before, Byrne has to cater to a lot of different interest groups within the A&M family. So he probably chooses every word carefully. If that's not good enough, well there's not much I can do about it. You can send an e-mail straight to the man himself and see if you get a longer response.

• • •

Q: The Fran haters may still get the losses to feel he should be fired. If the Ags run off several of the very possible wins they may find themselves looking at a program that is really headed the right direction.

Chuck, San Diego

DAVIS: Thanks for the e-mail, Chuck. Love your new TV show, by the way. You touch on a key question that fans have to ask themselves. If A&M did get it together and win the Big 12 South, would fans then be happy with Franchione as the head coach? I know things can always change. UT's John Mackovic won the Big 12 in 1996 and was fired the very next season. But would Aggies embrace Franchione if he led the team to a BCS bowl? Or, would they simply embrace the team and forget about him? I'm afraid the latter would be true.

• • •

Q: In your article today on the "VIP Newsletters" sent out by Texas A&M to subscribers you continue to refer to the individual who actually wrote and e-mailed the newsletters as "Franchione's personal assistant." This characterization has been used since at least Friday. According to the staff directory on the A&M athletic web site, this individual is the "Special Assistant to the Athletic Director." I am curious as to why you continue to mischaracterize his true position in the A&M athletic department.

Bill

DAVIS: Good question. McKenzie was a private contractor when he worked for Franchione while at TCU and Alabama, as I understand it. But at A&M, McKenzie does have the title of special assistant to the athletic director. McKenzie does have some official duties. He helps assemble the game programs, for example. But McKenzie is mainly Franchione's personal assistant. That's why I use that characterization in news stories.

• • •

Q: Jordan Peterson has started to look shaky at best on punt returns. What is going on there? Why doesn't Goodson return punts? Word on the street is that he prefers not to return punts or kickoffs. Is this true?

Randall, Class of '95, Salado, Texas

DAVIS: Ah, back to regular programming (i.e. football). I thought Peterson did fair catch one too many punts against Baylor. The coaching staff trusts him to make the right decisions, and I doubt that will waiver after one game. On Sept. 4, Goodson told reporters he wanted to return punts more than kickoffs. I got the impression the coaching staff wanted him to try returning kickoffs first, though.

Either way, I still think it's a bad move to put one of your best running backs out there on special teams when Peterson and Kerry Franks and Pierre Brown can handle all the return duties. By the way, Goodson did not start against Baylor because he suffered a knee injury earlier in the week. His status was a game-time decision. He entered the game on A&M's second possession and took his first carry around the left end for 25 yards.

• • •

Q: Franchione says that Jerrod Johnson is too, "inconsistent." I guess 5 touchdowns in 6 possessions is just not enough? I don't care who you were playing against, some of his teammates were second and third team players themselves. And I seem to remember, Franchione bragging to Coach Darnell, last year saying, "Jerrod Johnson was the best quarterback we face many weeks."

Jeb, Class of '70, Albany, Texas

DAVIS: No doubt that Jerrod Johnson is playing well. I think Fran owes it to Johnson to get him more meaningful playing time. That doesn't mean I think A&M should change quarterbacks permanently. This is still McGee's team. But Johnson deserves a chance to get out there when it counts, not just mop-up duty against scrubs. Johnson has completed only two of seven passes, but both were touchdowns. He's also rushed nine times for 93 yards.

• • •

Q: Two years ago when Reggie McNeal did not play against t.u., reports were coming out that he was healthy enough to play, but his discontent over the change in style of offense (option vs. pro style) & how that would affect his draft options, were the real reason. As we watch Stephen McGee, a state record-holder passer, is there any of that happening there?

Brad, Class of '93, Dallas

DAVIS: Franchione's option offense may not be what McGee envisioned running when he came to A&M. But there is absolutely no sign that McGee is upset about it. McGee is probably Fran's biggest supporter among the players. He's a true A&M solider. McGee will do what he's told, salute smartly and rally others to do the same. There may come a day when McGee is disgruntled with how he's been shackled by the offensive restraints. But that day won't be anytime soon.