Is Manti Te'o victim of hoax?

[Cachoo]

"Manti Te’o’s Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax"
http://deadspin.com/5976517/ma...dium=socialflow



Is Manti Te'o a victim or is he in on the hoax? The story is truly bizarre and makes me think of the film "Catfish."

[PDilemma]

I'm thinking he concocted the story for publicity. Dead loved one is a guarantee of attention with the sports media. He told the press a story about meeting her and his parents told press that she visited Hawaii, now it was suddenly an online only relationship.

[Cachoo]

I like Deadspin's feature but it is so convoluted it is hard to know what happened when. I see now the Notre Dame is calling him a victim. I guess they don't want to believe the alternative.

[michiruwater]

I have a hard time believing that he didn't know about this. But wow, is it an interesting story!

[oleada]

This is the most interesting thing about college football, ever.

I'd be shocked if he wasn't in on it. It stinks of a publicity stunt.

[BigB08822]

He had to be in on it with his friend. I don't buy this victim BS at all. The truth will come out one way or another.

[Cachoo]

You know KU had a basketball player who lost his mom, grandfather and grandmother within six weeks one winter and I'd never wish that sort of loss and sadness on anyone. If this kid and his family fabricated any of this it is really an ugly thing to do---I still hope he was a victim but it doesn't look that way.

[reckless]

There is no way he or his family didn't lie as part of the story, regardless of how it started.

Here are some quotes from the South Bend Tribune's original story in October:

It never felt like a chance meeting, although it probably appeared that way from the outside looking in.

Their stares got pleasantly tangled, then Manti Te’o extended his hand to the stranger with a warm smile and soulful eyes. They could have just as easily brushed past each other and into separate sunsets. Te’o had plenty to preoccupy himself that November weekend in Palo Alto, Calif., back in 2009.

Lennay Kekua was a Stanford student and Cardinal football fan when the two exchanged glances, handshakes and phone numbers that fateful weekend three seasons ago.

She was gifted in music, multi-lingual, had dreams grounded in reality and the talent to catch up to them.

The plan was for Kekua to spend extensive time with the whole Te’o family when upwards of 40 of them came to South Bend in mid-November for ND’s Senior Day date with Wake Forest.

“They started out as just friends,” Brian Te’o said. “Every once in a while, she would travel to Hawaii, and that happened to be the time Manti was home, so he would meet with her there. But within the last year, they became a couple.

“And we came to the realization that she could be our daughter-in-law. Sadly, it won’t happen now.”

So who told the Tribune writer about the first meeting? And was Brian Te'o lying about her visiting Hawaii? Was Manti Te'o lying to his father?

The South Bend Tribune has pulled the article from its site, but it was reprinted on other sites, including the Deseret News in Salt Lake.

Manti has always been a bit of a media creation. A lot of shady things went on during his recruitment and a lot of rumors still exist about what happened while he was at BYU for his official visit. Plus, Dad has always been big on orchestrating hype.

[Cheylana]

That sinking sound you heard was his draft stock further dropping...as if his anemic performance in the National Title game didn't give NFL general managers enough reason to stay away.

I just can't understand why people think they won't eventually get caught in their BIG FAT LIE!!!

[CynicElle]

I don't believe for a second that Manti wasn't in on this. But I do love a good identity hoax when they start falling apart, so .

[Coco]

I'm worried about this kid's mental health. Also, someone who has a healthy grasp of their own sexual identity wouldn't really engage in this fake long distance gf thing for any reason, or at least I can't imagine they would.

So I hope he gets lots of compassion in the next few months because I think I know where this is headed.

[ioana]

Parts of the original article about their meeting sound like they were written by a 16-year old girl with a celebrity crush. "extended his hand to the stranger with a warm smile and soulful eyes", "separate sunsets". For realsises?

[elka_sk8]

I'm worried about this kid's mental health. Also, someone who has a healthy grasp of their own sexual identity wouldn't really engage in this fake long distance gf thing for any reason, or at least I can't imagine they would.

So I hope he gets lots of compassion in the next few months because I think I know where this is headed.

Yeah I thought of that too. This whole story is just plain WIERD.

[Cachoo]

The guys at the basketball board that I like have all decided that he needed a girlfriend because he is a closeted gay man who is going to a not so gay-friendly team in the NFL. I think that is a stretch but I'm so flummoxed as to why one would invent something like this.

[Yehudi]

The guys at the basketball board that I like have all decided that he needed a girlfriend because he is a closeted gay man who is going to a not so gay-friendly team in the NFL. I think that is a stretch but I'm so flummoxed as to why one would invent something like this.

Except how would he know back in September which NFL team he would be going to? The Bills are projected to take him (shudder), and no one knew they'd be drafting in the 8th position back then. But otherwise, the gay theory is something that's been floating around in the article comments.

[KHenry14]

This story is so bizarre on so many levels. If he was in on it, it's the most cynical, arrogant move by a top college player that I've ever seen. If this was done as a cover for his being gay, he went about this the hard way. All he'd need to do is find a co-ed and date her publicly a few times and he'd get a pass. It's not like he'd have trouble finding co-ed's who'd go out with him. But I don't think we know the whole story yet.

BTW, Notre Dame ought to keep their collective mouth shut till this plays out. If they aren't 100% accurate in what they say, they'll look stupid and complicit in a cover-up.

And yes, no matter how this turns out, Manti has cost himself millions.

[ioana]

Would a Mormon co-ed be easy to find at a Catholic uni like Notre Dame? I agree bizarre is the best description of the situation...

[Cachoo]

Except how would he know back in September which NFL team he would be going to? The Bills are projected to take him (shudder), and no one knew they'd be drafting in the 8th position back then. But otherwise, the gay theory is something that's been floating around in the article comments.

I think their thinking is that no team is gay-friendly (though some players would be ok with it) but KHenry14 is right: There are other ways to do this. I want to wait until everything totally unravels so we are able to see exactly when this hoax first surfaced. Indeed it is interesting: Sad but interesting.

[Yehudi]

Would a Mormon co-ed be easy to find at a Catholic uni like Notre Dame? I agree bizarre is the best description of the situation...

I'm not even sure he'd have to date. Just post a few instagrams with the same pretty coed, make no comment about the relationship. His dad sounds like a real stage parent though.

http://deadspin.com/5975416/manti-te...ssing-a-tackle

[zippy]

Well, if he was bamboozled by a twitter account for 3 years, at least that sheds some light as to why he fell so hard for the play action pass on Jan. 7...

kidding, sort of. I'd feel terrible for the guy if the gay theory turned out to be true, but that seems like just wild speculation at this point. Supposedly some 'anonymous ND players' (although who knows who's making what up, at this point) have said it was common knowledge that Te'o had several other relationships with girls on campus around the time of the fake girl's fake death, and that they knew it was a hoax by October. Which makes it sound like it was drummed up and wildly embellished for Heisman purposes. On the other hand, maybe he really did get catfished (see the twitter accounts of @jayrahz and @ceeweezy51 who were joking about writing Manti fake love letters and resurrecting Lennay Kekua last month). They really ought to make a movie out of this