Catching up on recent developments with Jason Cook

Key quotes from Jason Cook interview

"The death of P. Manukainiu was a huge tragedy. It's more tragic that that event has been overshadowed by other news."

"It's unfortunate that our football program has had to deal with the loss of two teammates recently."

"When we hired Hyman a year ago, we knew we were hiring one of the best in the business."

"Texas A&M hasn't been relevant on the national stage for so long, but now we're the national talk and the national story."

"We're not going to like everything that is written or said, but you have to look at the big picture. Where is A&M now?"

"The media has figured out that Manziel sells magazines and generates viewers. He's transformed from athlete to a celebrity."

"I think we're seeing reporters coming to us with predetermined stories. You can either report a story or create a story."

"PR is a very serious issue. With A&M being on the national stage, we have to handle things a little differently than the past."

"We're looking for brand balance. Manziel will generate his own headlines because of who he is. We'll highlight others as well."

"We have talked with Florida about how they handled Tebow, but our situation is completely different."

"Our #1 goal is to protect Manziel and his eligibility. Taken the time to dot the I's and cross the T's and that's for Johnny."

"It's not all about Manziel or Sumlin, it's about everyone together. That's why we are working towards balanced publicity."

"I couldn't have been more proud of Manziel at media days. He walked into a pressured situation and was ready to tell his side."

"Since when does site with 'rumor' in their name get more credibility than a guy like Bruce Feldman who was at the Manning camp?"

"We are going to be looking at almost $4 million in gross revenue in A&M royalties this year."

"Jersey sales account for less than 2% of licensing money. That includes all numbers including #2."

"As Sumlin said in Houston the other night, "We want more T-shirt fans." That's a good thing."

"Middle-aged men are not the target for A&M Ken dolls. Although, I'm hearing we have middle-aged men buying Ken dolls anyways."

"We are going to auction off a '12THMAN' license plate. We expect it to go for a high amount of money. "

"The first year after the SEC announcement licensing revenues were up 26%. The following year, they were up another 18%."

"Soccer has a big match against Duke on August 23rd. The team is picked to finish #1 in the SEC."

"When you say "Dance team on Kyle", people think of dancing on the 50 yard line. You won't see anything like that this season."

"I've been waiting for the 2014 SEC schedule for about 2 months now. You're guess is as good as mine as to the release."

"We are continuing our 'one brand' philosophy into this season. Our TV ads will still be centered around what we stand for."

"You know Coach Sumlin and his mindset. We always have a couple surprises up our sleeves."