I agree with this. Regardless, Te'o is going to look bad. Either he was in on it, that gets out and he is regarded as a piece of shit (but an incredibly smart one). Or he truly was duped and lied about the details and he is viewed as the most gullible, stupid moron ever. In terms of his NFL stock, if I'm a GM I'd rather have the player smart enough to pull this off for so long than the one who was dumb enough to get conned.
NilesIrish He didn't have to say shit. And yet he milked the shit out of it and did an SI cover story. If the bitch's family was that concerned about keeping it private he wouldn't have done all of these interviews about her. It's a complete contradiction.
The BEST case scenarios for Te'o are 1) he's gay or 2) he was duped in the beginning and still went along with it for 3 months after he found out it was a hoax. However, given that this "relationship" has supposedly gone on since 2009, and he claimed to have previously met her and several occasion calls into question how he possibly couldn't have been innocent in all of this. I personally don't think he's gay, although it wouldn't surprise me either. This whole thing is just too weird. If the relationship "began in 2009," what would his motivation be for doing it? What would he gain by fabricating a girlfriend for that long? There's just too many conflicting stories told by him and his family. None if it makes any sense. Whatever the case, even if he was duped, they milked it for all it was worth after finding out it was bullshit. That asshole should return some of his post season awards because honestly, his story is what won him most of, if not all, of those awards. Him playing for Notre Dame didn't hurt, but when you tell the nation your grandmother and girlfriend died the same day you're gonna get sympathy from everyone, and he knew he was full of shit, at minimum, throughout the entire second half of the season.
That's all I can think of. If he felt he had to do that, his clear error was giving this fake person cancer and putting her in a car accident. You can't create a fake GF with a back story so sad you then can't pretend to break up with. Everyone knows this.
I mean if Teo is the victim, how does he not try reaching out to this girls family at all before December 6th. Doesnt attend funeral. Doesnt even make contact. Am I supposed to believe Manyi was just content with moving on with his life?
his opinions still suck, and he's a racist piece of shit. him speaking his mind doesn't make me like him any more. skip bayless isn't a mouth piece either, but he's still a douche bag
Disagree 100% here. If he's a con man, you can never trust him. If he's just ridiculously naive, an NFL team has the resources to educate him.
Don't think he made it up either... But it is PERFECTLY clear for all to see that he ran with the situation and milked it for personal gain.
Has this been posted? http://collegespun.com/big-east/not...-manti-teos-dead-girlfriend-hoax#.UPg1_fKp6C7 A Notre Dame Student’s Take On Manti Teo’s “Dead Girlfriend” Hoax Spoiler Tyler Moorehead - ND Campus Rep We all saw this coming. Well, not ALL of this — but enough to make too many of us shudder. Notre Dame is not like most schools with big-time athletic programs — our student body population pales in comparison to other large schools. And what does that mean? Well, word spreads fast on Notre Dame’s campus, and many students knew a long time ago that there was something very fishy (or should I say, cat-fishy) about Manti Te’o's relationship with ‘Lennay Kekua’. The students supported Manti Te'o after his apparent losses. When the story broke in mid-September that Manti lost his grandmother and girlfriend in a 24-hour period, the student body was shocked. Manti Te’o is truly a class act — it’s something that we have all seen first-hand over and over. I have seen him work hard in the classroom. I have seen him be ever-so-gracious with children that see him on campus. I have seen him be a great friend and person in general — not a soul that meets him comes away without being impressed. His manners would make any mother blush and he goes to mass with Tim Tebow-like regularity — he truly seems like the kind of guy that you’d want your daughter to marry someday. So when we heard the tragic news, the student body supported him in a manner that made national news. Yet, even before the Michigan State game, Manti Te’o was being questioned by his teammates. Apparently Manti had only “seen” Lennay once — but I assume “seen” was a rather loose term used for “chatted with online” (however, this is extremely complicated to understand since they were reportedly talking since 2009, according to the Te’o family). The debate among teammates wasn’t whether or not Manti actually knew this girl — it was clear that they had been in contact; no, players just didn’t think that it was fair to call Lennay Kekua Manti’s girlfriend, period (it is well-known on campus that he has had relations with other girls during his time at Notre Dame). They recognized what was going on for what it was — a terrible publicity stunt used to fuel Manti Te’o's Heisman campaign. In fact, many of the players privately commented that they didn’t want the students to wear leis in support of Manti and wouldn’t participate themselves — they cited that the team never responded so publicly to tragic events for other players. But there was also the feeling that Manti didn’t deserve to benefit from publicity from the death of somebody he barely knew. Manti must have known how beneficial this publicity would be in a season that marked Notre Dame’s return to the national elite, and one that also put him squarely in the Heisman race. As a defensive player, you can’t win the prestigious award without exceptional circumstances — and here one had conveniently fallen into his lap. So he went with it, fed off of it, and it riveted the nation. Love for Manti Te’o exceeded that of any player I have ever seen, and even non-Irish fans hailed him as an inspiration. And here’s where it all gets even trickier. Manti knew that it was over-the-top — his teammates had gotten that sense a long time prior. And now he was in too deep. More and more questions were asked about this fascinating story, and he kept answering them, calling Kekua “the love of his life”, even though he was digging a deeper and deeper hole for himself. And it didn’t help that his family, and specifically his father, Brian Te’o, was also talking about the incident, or lying as it appears. Was Manti duped? Photo via @MTeo_5 And yet, despite all of this, I genuinely believe Manti was duped, I truly do. I think Manti was fooled, got caught in a media frenzy and exaggerated their “relationship”. I don’t, however, think he orchestrated the deception. He made the mistake of running with the story rather than admitting the truth about the situation. He should have gotten away from this story at the very start — when she “passed”, he should have expressed his condolences to the family that he believed she had and moved on, rather than draw more attention to it. One thing that Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick made clear in his press conference is that he 100% believes Manti Te’o had feelings for this girl, and Manti is the perfect target for a trap like this because he truly cares about others. I have, like many others, met Manti Te’o, and numerous times. I believe he is a genuinely good guy. He came back to Notre Dame for his senior year to make a difference in the community and to be a positive role model to others. And it’s easy to see how he would be compelled to help this girl and make her a substantial part of his life. More and more evidence is coming out that seems to indicate that there was a clear intent by some sick people to trick Manti Te’o. Whether they were in it just for the cruel pleasure of fooling a famous figure or if they would have eventually attempted to blackmail Te’o for money once he made the NFL is unclear. But what Notre Dame firmly believes is that Manti Te’o was close enough with this girl to be hurt at her death, which he believed to be legitimate. And Te’o really knew something was wrong when she later “came back from the dead” to message him. Something was very, very wrong — he had been played. Now here’s the thing. While I believe Manti Te’o to have an incredibly good heart and to have gotten duped, I will also be quick to point out that he oversold all of this drama in the first place. It was heinous of him to play up a relationship as the love of his life for a girl he had never actually met — I think most people can agree that is ridiculous. And I think Notre Dame had to have some knowledge of the the whole case being significantly embellished but was on board because of the positive press and hype it brought to the university. Could it have been a massive oversight and university officials just took Manti at his word that it was his girlfriend? Absolutely, but I like to think my school’s athletic department is a little smarter than that — it has shown itself to be quite media savvy in the past. I think that Te’o, his family, and Notre Dame all knew what was going on in terms of hyperbole (but not the entire non-existence) and decided to go with it, never expecting the truth to come out. It remains to be seen what legacy Te'o will leave behind. Ultimately, the best thing about this is that nobody got hurt. This is extremely embarrassing for everyone involved, especially Manti Te’o if he was truly duped like I believe. While he should be ashamed about accepting the press that he did, this was not a scandal where victims were physically abused, caught cheating, or found dead. It was a massive series of lies that kept growing and growing. Plenty of people had an idea that something was going on — as soon as players found out, it slowly leaked to their friends, and their friends’ friends. But it all went left unsaid because nobody but Manti and the Lennay Kekua imposters truly knew the full reality of their relationship. Later today we expect to hear Manti’s side of the story — whether it will reveal the whole truth remains to be seen. But I expect to see a heartbroken and crestfallen Te’o for two reasons: I believe he was duped into thinking Lennay Kekua existed and is now publicly humiliated for that, and furthermore, I think he realizes his chance to be an icon who makes a positive difference is really hanging in the balance. Knowing Manti, I hope that it comes out that all he did was lie to get more press than he needed. That is bad, but not unforgiveable, and if there’s one person who’s history of good acts says he deserves a second chance, it’s Manti Te’o.[/spoiler[
I think that would be the theory there. He began to realize he would get exposed eventually and people would find out she isnt real and start asking more questions, so he tried to sneak it in along with his grandma with the hopes that people wouldn't seek out his "girlfriend's" family as much.
basically said the real problem here was the breakdown in journalistic integrity, but how deadspin isn't one of those outlets and they aren't held to the same standard. people said they should have waited for confirmation but he's like dude, we're deadspin, no one is going to call us back, so we just went with it. then said the real problem here was journalistic integrity and about how when deadspin is doing your fact checking there's a real problem. like, how were they first to get this tip and information and why would no one else even check? he said they're doing an article today compiling every false report printed about this subject to just show how bad journalism is. not really on the soap box, but he's kinda like dude, we broke this massive story and no one else was even in the same ballpark?
But if he comes out and claims he is gay, can you really trust him at this point? It might just be another ploy by the media to manipulate our sympathies. I think you need to sleep with him, or at least get a condom on blow job from him, and report back.
Because her final wishes were that he wouldn't. It's fucked up and irrational but I can KIND of see it. The story was also that she was buried in Hawaii, he may have planned to visit her grave over Christmas break, but obviously this blew up before then. I see a ton of smoke in this deal, this portion just doesn't happen to be all that fishy to me...odd, yes, damning, no.
not to mention, people don't just die of leukemia overnight. no visits to the hospital when she was going through chemotherapy? i don't even remember hearing about her battling leukemia prior to her dying. i didn't follow his story until it was announced she died, so maybe it was something people knew about. but still, who the fuck doesn't visit "the love of their life" when they're battling cancer?
If I'm a GM I'd rather have a player that had more solo tackles than assisted tackles his senior year and can actually get off a block.
They'll be nowhere to be found. I am leaning towards he is gay. It's starting to add up. Unless he is just a complete sociopath and narcissist.
yes because no one suggested he was gay before someone blew the retard horn and you stumbled in here. shut the fuck up.
I wonder if he went to ND hoping that being around a religious environment in one of the most conservative areas of the country would help take the gay out?
Only half a month into 2013 and we already have a top 10 sports/social networking story for the year.
The Manti Te'o not-really-dead-girlfriend hoax was perpetuated by a man named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo -- who served as a representative for the family of the fake "Lennay Kekua" ... and TMZ has the photo proof. Here's what we know ... While Manti was "dating" Lennay ... a Notre Dame die-hard fan who we'll call "Jan" (to protect her identity) reached out to Lennay on Twitter and began an online friendship. After Lennay's supposed death, Jan became involved with a group called "Wear a Lei 4 Manti" -- in which fans wore Hawaiian leis to ND football games to show their support for the football star. When the "Wear a Lei 4 Manti" movement began to receive media attention, Jan says she noticed she gained a Twitter follower named U'ilani Rae Kekua. Jan tells TMZ ... she reached out to U'ilani and asked if she was related to Lennay -- to which U'ilani replied, "Yes, that's my baby sister." The two became friends. In fact, Jan says they both mentioned how they were going to attend the Notre Dame vs. USC game in L.A. on November 24, 2012 ... so Jan sent U'ilani her cell phone number in case she wanted to meet up. Here's where the story takes a turn ... Jan tells TMZ she got a phone call from U'ilani on the day of the game directing her to the famous Tommy Trojan statue in front of the stadium, so they could meet up. But when Jan arrived to the statue, U'ilani was NOT there ... but guess who was -- Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. Jan and Ronaiah even took a photo together (see above). According to the Deadspin article, Ronaiah was the person who obtained the photo of the woman everyone believed to be Lennay ... and is suspected of having a major role in the hoax. Jan tells us Ronaiah was with a little girl during the USC meeting who they called Pookah -- and together, they explained how Lennay's sister couldn't come down to visit, so U'ilani sent them instead. Jan says Ronaiah "made it seem as if he was a member of Lennay's family." After Jan and Ronaiah took the picture together -- Jan says Ronaiah began to act paranoid ... and told her, "Make sure you don't post this photo online." Soon after the game, Jan says she was contacted by U'ilani ... who also urged her NOT to post the picture of Ronaiah. She didn't explain why. U'ilani later sent a photo to Jan showing a woman at a cemetery -- and told her, "This is me and my family at Lennay's gravesite. We're spending the day here." Clearly, the woman in the photo is not U'ilani ('cause she doesn't really exist) ... and some digging suggests the woman in the photo is actually a woman named Donna Tei, who doesn't seem to have a relationship with anyone involved in the hoax. There's more ... Jan tells TMZ Lennay's "sister" continued to reach out to her after the USC game ... and delivered some more bad news -- that little Pookah had been diagnosed with lupus and was dying in a children's hospital in Orange County, CA. Jan said she wanted to send flowers -- so Lennay's "sister" gave her an address. TMZ has learned the address belongs to a member of the Tuiasosopo family. Jan also gave us the phone number Lennay's sister would use to contact her -- and we found out the number is registered to a man named Titus Tuiasosopo -- Ronaiah's father. We tried to reach out to Ronaiah -- but we couldn't get a hold of him. So far, he has yet to comment to the media about the story. Read more: http://www.tmz.com#ixzz2IFwVPO8S http://www.tmzstore.com Read more: http://www.tmz.com#ixzz2IFwTBUrJ http://www.tmzstore.com
@WhitlockJason: RT @AntonioCromartie "I've been paying Lennay Kekua child support for 18 months. Told y'all the baby wasn't mine."
Not sure what is spin. I never said he didn't like the attention, or turn anyone down, which her certainly could have done. But he also didn't chase down ESPN and ask them to air this constantly for a month
As much as I've enjoyed Teo as a player the last four years, the thought of this happening if he was at USC around Kiffin would just be priceless.
"There's more ... Jan tells TMZ Lennay's "sister" continued to reach out to her after the USC game ... and delivered some more bad news -- that little Pookah had been diagnosed with lupus and was dying in a children's hospital in Orange County, CA. " House joke