Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend......Never Existed?

[klunderbunker]

http://deadspin.com/5976517/manti-t...tory-of-the-college-football-season-is-a-hoax

To say this is bizarre is an understatement. Basically (and I emphasize that word. You really need to read the article to have a firm grasp on what's going on) Te'o is a superstar college linebacker whose grandmother and girlfriend died on the same day. Based on a string of evidence since there, there is no solid reason to believe the girlfriend ever existed and that she may have been a huge hoax. Whether or not Te'o was involved isn't exactly clear.

Thoughts/reactions to this? It's one of the most insane stories I've ever heard.

 

[The Butcher]

I saw Pat Forde's (of Yahoo Sports) tweet about it and immediately headed over to Deadspin. It's bizarre, to say the least. If T'eo was in cahoots with Tuiasosopo, then hopefully he'll fess up to it sooner rather than later. He and his parents told a lot of stories about her that couldn't have been true, so there's definitely more to it than Notre Dame or Manti's press releases say. Hopefully the rest comes out. Tuiasosopo can't hide forever, so hopefully he can confess and give the full story.

 

[Con T.]

What is this, I don't even.

There is something very, very sick with Manti. I mean, just... Why would you do this?

For those of you that will try to argue that he's the victim here, I find that hard to believe. There is so much conflicting stuff about this whole sordid affair, but here's what I can gather;

1. This Tuiasosopo kid and Te'o were close.

2. This kid had a lot to do with the creation of Lennay.

3. Ronaiah and Manti both did quite a bit of backtracking, especially when it comes to Lennay's sister, "U'ilani".

I mean, it worked... Kudos to him, in a way, he got what he wanted. But it only goes to show you two things;

1. He's a very disturbed individual, one in which wanted fame so bad, he would create this fictional situation, which was really unneeded when you consider that he actually did go through a legitimate tragedy at the time.

2. Something happened where the major sports reporting entities of the world decided they weren't going to actually look into this story. Let's face it, ESPN wants to dictate the narrative, they don't want to report it. This is a perfect case of that right here.

This is disgusting, on so many levels.

Fuck all involved, man.
Like seriously, fuck them.
This is disgusting

 

[Thriller Ant]

I find the whole thing hilarious. Whether his supporters admit it or not, a big part of his fame and Heisman campaign were based around the sob story of how these two people died on the same day. Now, he's just a lying fame ****e, assuming the story is true because there's no way he wasn't in on it. With the media jumping all over Lance Armstrong for lying, it'll be interesting to see the backlash Te'o receives.

 

[kcoe24]

Well Notre Dame and Manti Te'o have since released statements that claim he was tricked and only had an online relationship to her.

Notre Dame's statement: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-notre-dame-statement-manti-teo,0,3338254.story claims that Te'o informed them back on December 26 that he was tricked about this girl now so they just decided to sweep this under the rug until someone uncovered the truth for them.

The problem with Manti and Notre dame story is he claims to have met her at Stanford, went on vacation with her. talked to her family post death. and he wouldn't release any photos of her yet didn't stop news outlets from posting a photo of a girl who wasn't her. Then you have his the whole Dead spin article and the deleted tweets and the sister on twitter who was a fake and same person. Dead spin did a great job with this story and make Manti really damn hard to believe.

I hope he goes to the combine and has to answer questions about this cause right now i find it very hard to believe his story.

 

[kcoe24]

With the media jumping all over Lance Armstrong for lying.

He's probably the happiest guy right now cause they will stop talking about him, cause this is a far bigger story.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

In this day and age, Internet relationships are pretty common. I think it is close to 20% of all relationships now start online. It has been a while since I read the article. There are a lot of these relationships that work out. There are also a lot of them that are based in lies and untruths. Shows like To Catch a Predator would have never existed if everything on the internet was peachy.

If he was in fact fooled, I feel sorry for him, despite the fact that he is a twenty something year old man. However there is a lot of evidence that says that he was in on the whole deal. I'll withhold judgement until more details emerge, if they do in fact emerge, but it is an unusual story to say the least.

 

[Slyfox696]

Wow, this story is crazy. It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here, and whether Te'o was really in on it. I'm sure my dad will have some real news on it soon, if not already.

 

[CH David]

This is a "what the fuck" situation for me. I never paid any attention to any personal stories about Notre Dame, let alone their best defensive player. Hell, I never knew he had a girlfriend or he was even Mormon. The things you learn. Manti is a liar in some form. Either he met her after a game in California, or he met her on the interwebs, likely Twitter, and that's where the relationship started. Regardless, this is fucked, and I am curious to see where everything goes.

 

[The Butcher]

Looks like Manti is going to face the press sooner rather than later:

[Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbick said that] Te'o himself would possibly address the media as early as tomorrow

So, maybe tomorrow, but definitely soon. I just wonder if he'll take questions.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

Wow. Craziest thing I've ever heard of. Completely insane. There's no way in all blue hell that Manti wasn't involved in this. Lying sacks of shit.

 

[Slyfox696]

There's no way in all blue hell that Manti wasn't involved in this.

The only thing which gives me pause on this is "Why"? Why would he go through all that trouble, the phone calls for hours on end every night with the woman (which were real, as several players have confirmed). What would be the purpose of setting all of this up years ago? It doesn't make sense.

His grandmother dying would have been story enough. Te'o was already considered one of the best linebackers in the country. You can't make money as a college player. So what would be the point?

To all of those who seem so convinced Te'o was complicit, I've yet to see a sufficient answer for "why" yet. I'm not saying he wasn't, I'm just looking for a good reason.

 

[Slyfox696]

Here's what I love...people keep calling Te'o a deceitful and gloryhound liar because he said he had met the girl.

So he apparently is capable about lying to gain publicity, but incapable of lying about having met the girl because he was ashamed of an online relationship.

Never let it be said that Americans cannot immediately jump to irrational at the drop of the hat.

 

[The Butcher]

Whoa, Sly, you're being way too pragmatic and giving all of this way too much thought. Deadspin says he's a liar, so that's that. Now grab a torch or a pitchfork and join the mob!

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

Here's what I love...people keep calling Te'o a deceitful and gloryhound liar because he said he had met the girl.

So he apparently is capable about lying to gain publicity, but incapable of lying about having met the girl because he was ashamed of an online relationship.

Never let it be said that Americans cannot immediately jump to irrational at the drop of the hat.

I might have jumped to that conclusion a little to quickly. It's hard not to demonize Manti and call him names but the smart thing to do is to wait and see what information comes out. I still think he was in on it but we'll see.

 

[klunderbunker]

Here's what I don't get about the argument he did it for publicity:

He was a standout linebacker at the University of College Football and is going to play in the NFL. He was going to get publicity no matter what, so what would he have to gain by making this whole thing up?

 

[Con T.]

So he apparently is capable about lying to gain publicity, but incapable of lying about having met the girl because he was ashamed of an online relationship

Here's the problem; let's look at his statement that he released;

This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online.

That's fine so far; I understand that. Online relationships are far more common today; they aren't as taboo. Now sure, there's still some extent that's taboo, but I'm with him so far, and it makes sense to me.

We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her.

Stop right there.

Allegedly, if we're to believe the Deadspin story to be accurate, then we should believe that this twitter account, and really this whole hoax, was started by a guy named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. So if we're to believe this hoax was completely concocted by Tuiasosopo, a man who was allegedly close to Te'o, where did this voice comes from, that spoke to Te'o on the phone for hours, often "eight hours" on the phone by his calculation? I suppose they could have brought in a voice, maybe a voice modifier, but that seems to be going a long way out for this.

It's a little more disconcerting to think that Te'o's father was of the belief that the two had met in person. Now granted, Te'o could have very well lied to his father, trying to keep up an image, perhaps concerned his father won't get the concept of an online relationship. But again, I see a little inconsistency in the matter.

To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating. It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother's death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life.

Which brings me to an issue I just considered while listening to ND's press conference. Te'o, allegedly, learned of the hoax on December 26th. Now, granted, there was a BCS Title game that I can totally understand not speaking about the situation during that period. That said, there's been about a week and a half of time after the BCS Title game, where I don't get why there isn't a press release. For that matter, the press release doesn't come out until after the Deadspin article comes out... Why? Especially given how quickly we did hear about the loss of Te'o's girlfriend, it seems a little strange we don't get some sort of word on what's going on until after the article comes out.

Again, granted, maybe he's embarrassed, and I get that. But if the investigation was launched December 26th, why did it take so long for us to hear anything?

Also, that September timeline is confusing, when analyzed. Here's the Deadspin article.

Sept. 10, 2012: Kekua is released from the hospital; Manti's father, Brian, congratulates her "via telephone" (South Bend Tribune).

Sept. 11-12, 2012: Te'o's grandmother dies in Hawaii. Later, Kekua dies in California. Or is it the other way around? "Te'o's girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, died Sept. 11 of complications from leukemia. His grandma, Annette Santiago, died after a long illness less than 24 hours later," according to the Sept. 22 South Bend Tribune. No, Annette dies first, according to the Oct. 12 South Bend Tribune. In fact, Lennay lives long enough to express condolences over the death of Annette:

Less than 48 hours later [after Lennay's release from the hospital], at 4 a.m. Hawaii time, Kekua sent a text to Brian and Ottilia, expressing her condolences over the passing of Ottilia's mom, Annette Santiago, just hours before.

Brian awakened three hours later, saw the text, and sent one back. There was no response. A couple of hours later, Manti called his parents, his heart in pieces.

Lennay Kekua had died.

Or does Kekua die three days later (http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/football/ultimate_fighter_PBWzFAFZMEsyGIFvIkounJ)? Four days (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8722085/manti-teo-notre-dame-fighting-irish-wins-walter-camp-player-year)?

In any case, according to Te'o's interview with Gene Wojciechowski in a segment aired during the Oct. 6 episode of College GameDay, Lennay's last words to Te'o were "I love you."

Sept. 12, 2012 (morning): Te'o is informed of his grandmother's passing (Sports Illustrated).

Sept. 12, 2012 (afternoon): Te'o is informed of Kekua's passing by her older brother, Koa (Sports Illustrated).

Now, here's the issues;

A. Not only has Manti spoken to this person, so had his father

B. There is a really confusing timeline to the death of Lennay.

C. If we go further into this, it actually gets a little confusing into how she dies.

I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about her just makes me sick.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/1/16/3885448/manti-teo-girlfriend-hoax-notre-dame-teammates

I don't want to believe there was any malicious intent to any of this. But even with the guy giving a press release that does some have issues... I don't know, it seems to be the way that this story is leading.

 

[Nate DaMac]

My gut says it's horseshit. I have to believe that Me'o is telling the truth. It's just hard to believe that someone could be that malicious when their reputation is anything but. Not saying it's emphatically unrealistic, but I'd like to try and give him the benefit of the doubt before I jump to assuming the worst.

It'd be like Tim Tebow doing something like this. You're really going to have to prove it.

 

[Con T.]

My gut says it's horseshit. I have to believe that Me'o is telling the truth. It's just hard to believe that someone could be that malicious when their reputation is anything but. Not saying it's emphatically unrealistic, but I'd like to try and give him the benefit of the doubt before I jump to assuming the worst.

It'd be like Tim Tebow doing something like this. You're really going to have to prove it.

Not to make the connection between these two, or to say that one is like the other, in any way;

If anyone told you the events of Chris Benoit, a day or two before it happened, would you believe it?

I'm not saying that Te'o is outright involved, or that we shold blame him just yet. But to say the story is fishy is an understatement.

I don't know if Deadspin has proved he was involved, but they have proven that something's very awry in this story.

 

[The Butcher]

Yeah, the Deadspin account of things doesn't look good on Manti, and when Deadspin actually decides to do some journalism they dig deep. However, it is their account of things. Te'o, his folks, and the elusive Mr. Tuiasosopo all have knowledge of the situation that Deadspin didn't have access to.

This could turn out to be a case where Manti was just embarrassed to let the whole nation know that he had online-only girlfriend. He could've asked his parents to help him out with little white lies about her until the couple actually met. Most 21 year old males are not emotionally mature; they're teens who can drink. Image and machismo trumps being practical and humble, even for a Mormon kid.

Anyway, my point is that all the pieces of the puzzle aren't out of the box, and you can't fit the puzzle together, much less see the picture, if you don't have all the pieces.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Not to make the connection between these two, or to say that one is like the other, in any way;

If anyone told you the events of Chris Benoit, a day or two before it happened, would you believe it?

I'm not saying that Te'o is outright involved, or that we shold blame him just yet. But to say the story is fishy is an understatement.

I don't know if Deadspin has proved he was involved, but they have proven that something's very awry in this story.

Believing that Benoit was a lunatic wasn't really that hard for me. When the story first broke that they were dead, you know, hours before the cause of deaths were released, I fully prepared to hear that he did it. It wasn't the first time I heard a story like that, it wasn't the last.

You're absolutely right though and if it's ever proven that he was in on it, he's a fucking moron. I'm just electing to be on his side for the moment.

 

[Con T.]

Yeah, the Deadspin account of things doesn't look good on Manti, and when Deadspin actually decides to do some journalism they dig deep. However, it is their account of things. Te'o, his folks, and the elusive Mr. Tuiasosopo all have knowledge of the situation that Deadspin didn't have access to.

This could turn out to be a case where Manti was just embarrassed to let the whole nation know that he had online-only girlfriend. He could've asked his parents to help him out with little white lies about her until the couple actually met. Most 21 year old males are not emotionally mature; they're teens who can drink. Image and machismo is trumps being practical and humble, even for a Mormon kid.

Anyway, my point is that all the pieces of the puzzle aren't out of the box, and you can't fit the puzzle together, much less see the picture, if you don't have all the pieces.

Oh no, don't get me wrong, I totally understand that. The problem is, even now, when Manti talks about it being "online only" it seems anything but.

Even in his press release, he talked to this person for hours, so there had to be some knowledge of this person's "voice" or existence. It doesn't help that it seems all involved, Te'o, Tuiasosopo, and the like, have deleted a good amount of knowledge of this person. And again, let's just say that Te'o was in an online relationship; allegedly, this person arranged to meet Te'o in Hawaii, and always backed away last minute. Shouldn't that lead to some caution for Manti?

 

[The Butcher]

Oh no, don't get me wrong, I totally understand that. The problem is, even now, when Manti talks about it being "online only" it seems anything but.

Even in his press release, he talked to this person for hours, so there had to be some knowledge of this person's "voice" or existence. It doesn't help that it seems all involved, Te'o, Tuiasosopo, and the like, have deleted a good amount of knowledge of this person. And again, let's just say that Te'o was in an online relationship; allegedly, this person arranged to meet Te'o in Hawaii, and always backed away last minute. Shouldn't that lead to some caution for Manti?

It certainly should've, and hopefully he'll address details like that and have good reason for them. Because, if he doesn't, the suspicion is going to follow him for a while. Nobody likes being duped, much less having their emotions toyed with, so the court of public opinion isn't going to go easy on him. Manti has quite the hill to climb.

 

[jmt225]

Let's say Te'o's side of the story from what we've been hearing is factual...

He was duped by what the "cool kids" today call a 'catfish', a person online who uses photos of another person to meet people and flirt with them online. MTV has a new hit show on people who do this.

The thing with kids today is, and people at this very site have been apart of this, is that they take their online relationships very seriously. We hear many stories all the time about people who fall in love before they even meet, simply because they had some interaction with one another online. If this happened to Manti Te'o, then he IS a victim. And those who make fun of him for falling for some desperate ugly cunt or disgraceful jackass pretending to be a pretty woman online simply don't realize the same could happen to almost anyone in today's day and age.

Now, with that said, if Te'o did make it up for publicity, then it was a little lie that simply went too far. Is it really that big of a deal? To me it's not, but whatever. I can see why now people would question his character. I think the best thing for Te'o to do, if this was simply a prank that got out of hand, is to come out and apologize for it and move on. Sure he'll still be crucified by the media and the internet, but it'll be up to him to ignore it all and put all his energy and focus back into football and getting his draft status back up. This very well could have cost him millions of dollars, but Ray Lewis is a prime example that you can bounce back from ANYTHING in people's eyes as long as your great on that football field.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

JMT does make a good point about Lewis and how people will forgive a lot of things if you are good on the field. It is better this happened before his pro career rather than after. Look at Lewis and Ben Roethlisberger. One was accused of stabbing a man, the other has been accused of sexual crimes more than once, but they go out and play well and people forget it. On the other hand look at Lawrence Taylor, he was arguably the greatest linebacker of all time, but there are people who want him out of the HoF because of his alleged rape of an underage girl. He doesn't have a chance to go out play anymore and he is slammed much harder for his allegations. Yeah the fact that the girl in question was underage does play into it, I fully believe if it happened while he was playing he would have a chance to make people forgive or forget it.