OT: OK, enough about LA, let's talk about Manti Te'o and his "girlfriend"

[Louis]

What a soap opera.

ESPN story (http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8851033/story-manti-teo-girlfriend-death-apparently-hoax)

[dd74]

Yeah, he's cooked. I wonder if Notre Dame will keep him on the team. I can't decide if Teo's crazy or just wanted the sympathy vote for the Heisman and then whenever he goes for the NFL draft. Whatever it is, his was a dumb ploy no matter how you decipher it.

[esldude]

Not really a big deal. Seems Notre Dame's relationship with real college football was strictly an online relationship in total. At least it looked that way when Alabama (a real football team) played them.



Oh yeah, Roll Tide!

[Tony T]

"It was clear, however, that both Te’o and the university were well aware of the situation during the onslaught of news media coverage during the lead-up to the Bowl Championship Series title game on Jan. 7. Neither corrected the record until the Deadspin article was published Wednesday."

[Louis]

Seems Notre Dame's relationship with real college football was strictly an online relationship in total.

HA ! Good one.

So, nobody's buying the Te'o / ND line that he was duped?

[Chance]

HA ! Good one.

So, nobody's buying the Te'o / ND line that he was duped?

Seriously? The girlfriend angle seems obvious to me.:rolleyes:

[rwsaunders]

HA ! Good one.

So, nobody's buying the Te'o / ND line that he was duped?

Something is rotten in Denmark...or is that Samoa?

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8851033/story-manti-teo-girlfriend-death-apparently-hoax

[esldude]

Well the good news about imaginary girlfriends, is they don't show up on a national broadcast. Which means no apology on behalf of Brent Musberger. Though I must say, since when does anyone at any age need to apologize for looking at a young woman and saying she is beautiful? Oh well, no such issues with an imaginary girlfriend.

[eippo1]

Perhaps he kept seeing her appear on the field when he was about to attempt a tackle...

[TomNguyen]

Personally, I think he might be gay and was using this as a cover up for his family/school till it blew up in his face... We'll see.

[dd74]

...they gonna get you, Manti...

[Louis]

I just read some more stuff on the NYT site, and apparently there are tons of interviews out there where he talks about spending time with her in person. That means that the "I was fooled" line is BS.

I wonder if Oprah has some free air time next week ???

[1/2 Wheeler]

What and Why I have no idea but I really feel for the kid. Being thrown on a national stage at that age and having expectations from people he will never know of care to know is crazy.

[FlashUNC]

I just read some more stuff on the NYT site, and apparently there are tons of interviews out there where he talks about spending time with her in person. That means that the "I was fooled" line is BS.

I wonder if Oprah has some free air time next week ???

It's sad this was all done to try to spark a Heisman candidacy. Really sad thing is that it worked.

[William]

...Late Wednesday night, the story took another twist when ESPN found an NFL player who said he knew Kekua and that she is a real woman. The player, Reagan Mauia, an Arizona Cardinals fullback, told the sports network that he and Pittsburgh Steelers star Troy Polamalu met her
"This was before her and Manti," Mauia told ESPN. "I don't think Manti was even in the picture, but she and I became good friends. We would talk off and on, just checking up on each other kind of thing. I am close to her family."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/17/sport/manti-teo-controversy/index.html?hpt=hp_c1






William

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . is just plain wierd.

BBD

[Dave B]

. . . is just plain wierd.

BBD

Yeah agreed.

I guess I cannot be surprised anymore what people/organizations will create or cover up to keep the spotlight on them. I suppose I have become jaded a bit, but it is what it is.

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

The bar of the definition of what a attention whore is has been raised, and quite high, IMO. Apparently, this is more important than "real" issues, though. The story got 10 damn minutes on the national news, the hostage situation in Algeria, 30 seconds. To quote someone, "Sometimes, this world is too ridiculous to live in."

[laupsi]

The bar of the definition of what a attention whore is has been raised, and quite high, IMO. Apparently, this is more important than "real" issues, though. The story got 10 damn minutes on the national news, the hostage situation in Algeria, 30 seconds. To quote someone, "Sometimes, this world is too ridiculous to live in."

anyone posting about the hostage situation in Algeria? no, they're not. many reasons to explain this, but truth is, no one is. doesn't mean no one cares, we're just humans. all of us, totally flawed, again for many reasons.

[Doug Fattic]

I live just a few miles north of Notre Dame and get their sport news all the time in the South Bend Tribune and local TV channels. This is just a super weird and creepy story. From my perspective the odds that he did this to pull some emotional strings to get a few more Heisman votes is really slim. When I hear him interviewed he comes across as sincere but not particularly smart. On his first visit to ND in the winter he came dressed in shorts with no coat (he's from Hawaii). He didn't do much background checking then either. What he does weave into his interviews is his belief in God and often mentions his prayer life. All of which makes it seem less likely he's dreaming up lies to fool people.

ND apparently did an investigation and their Athletic Director certainly believes Manti was the victim and not the perpetrator of this hoax. He (the AD director) was bawling like a baby during the press conference. What convinced him was online traffic gloating about what they did to damage Te'o. He is not at ND right now. He is a senior with enough credits to graduate and is working out in Florida getting ready for the draft. There are an abundance of ND haters and it isn't impossible to believe that someone wanted to play a trick on the icon of their football program to make them look foolish. Lots of possibilities and few answers. All the local sports broadcasters and writers are going huh!?

[TAW]

"Lies, cheating and hoaxes going on in sports? I'm appalled"

----Lance Armstrong

[MarleyMon]

...
ND apparently did an investigation and their Athletic Director certainly believes Manti was the victim and not the perpetrator of this hoax...

If Jack Swarbrick says he believes Manti, that's good enough for me....
to know its a lie. Remember what he said when Declan Sullivan was killed in the scissor lift blown over in 50mph winds? "it was a day like any other day" and "I barely noticed a breeze". Swarbrick refused to even name the independent investigators he hired, maybe they don't exist either. He is a scumbag liar - period.

Manti was an Academic All-American, ie not dumb. I think he's complicit, not a victim.

Mike Marley '80

[crownjewelwl]

dad is complicit (which means he was)...

-- "They started out as just friends. 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."

[tuxbailey]

Nah, he will get drafted, but probably lose a few position or bump into next round.

[Doug Fattic]

Te'o is now damaged goods no matter who is the perpetrator of this hoax. He looks stupid either way. Was he dumb enough to think he could fool a national audience or was he too dumb to not catch on it was a hoax? His image took a real hit in the championship game. He missed more tackles trying to stop the spinning Eddie Lacy than he missed on everyone else all year. Nobody is going to remember he missed only 2 tackles during the regular season (today the SBT said only one). That last game is the lasting impression. My guess is still that this originated outside and not inside his brain.

[malcolm]

The girlfriend thing won't make much more than a superficial difference to the NFL. They don't care about character or intellect beyond the ability to get along with teamates and understand the game.

I think his performance against Alabama will be a bigger negative for him. A comment was made in an article that he didn't have his usual energy level and appeared exhausted on the side line. Well that's what it looks like when you are getting beat down by a superior offensive line. Doesn't mean he won't be able to play and be an impact player in the pros but does mean he has some training and improving to do. The worst pro line is probably better than Alabama's.

[ClutchCargo]

Well, this didn't take long:

http://teoing.tumblr.com/

[67-59]

I have no idea if the initial hoax was perpetrated by him or against him. The part I find unfathomable is that when his supposed girlfriend died, he found it more important to play a football game against Michigan State than to go to her funeral.

[Dave B]

I have no idea if the initial hoax was perpetrated by him or against him. The part I find unfathomable is that when his supposed girlfriend died, he found it more important to play a football game against Michigan State than to go to her funeral.

her final words were for him to stay and play for her. I think that is one of the suspect issues.

Either way, guilty or not it is a sad development.

[Ken Robb]

"go out and win one for the Kekua" has a familiar ring.
What really hurts is that my grandmother and my girlfriend Marilyn Monroe died and no body gave a rat's ass about me.

[dd74]

My question is does anyone on this thread "exist?" Hell, do I even "exist?" Hmm...

[rugbysecondrow]

The girlfriend thing won't make much more than a superficial difference to the NFL. They don't care about character or intellect beyond the ability to get along with teamates and understand the game.

I think his performance against Alabama will be a bigger negative for him. A comment was made in an article that he didn't have his usual energy level and appeared exhausted on the side line. Well that's what it looks like when you are getting beat down by a superior offensive line. Doesn't mean he won't be able to play and be an impact player in the pros but does mean he has some training and improving to do. The worst pro line is probably better than Alabama's.

I think the same could be said for D-lines as well. ND D-Line put up so little a fight that by the time the game got into the 2nd and 3rd level, it was gone.

What I do think is that some players react differently from the time off than others. It was about 6-8 weeks off between games, it is hard to get back into game shape physically, regain mental sharpness especially...that part of the college system is certainly broken.

If Alabama and ND played in November or early Dec, I think the game would be much closer and more fun to watch.

[esldude]

I figure he was in on it. Academic All-American. So not dumb.

You tell me, if you have someone you are calling in public your girlfriend, someone who you then dedicate publicly a game to in honor of them, even if it had been an online relationship, wouldn't you attend the funeral of that person or at least send some flowers if it simply wasn't possible to make it back to Hawaii? Obviously at that point, even if you were fooled, or a victim of hoax, you would find out the truth.

Hate to think he cooked this up for Heisman votes, but it makes the most sense. Suppose it was possible someone hoaxed him early on, and upon learning the truth he was embarrassed to admit it. That would be the next most believable scenario. Remembering being 21 and 22 years old that isn't so hard to believe. Worse to me is the Notre Dame administration knowing this and not coming clean about it. That brings up maybe most believable scenario number three which is they wanted it kept quiet and influenced him to go along. Shame on them if that is the case.

Just one more example that athletes aren't heroes or better than most people. They are just gifted and highly motivated athletes. No more and no less. Celebrate the athletic achievements and don't deify them.

[Louis]

I don't know if Sports Department reporters are more prone to this than anyone else, but it's becoming more and more obvious that many of them are fans first and reporters second.

Whether the subject was Manti Te'o or Lance Armstrong, reporters merely fed the fans the story they wanted to hear, and didn't care enough to do the behind-the-scenes digging to ensure an accurate story.

I find it interesting that sickness and cancer played an important role in both stories. I guess that's because fraudsters have concluded that back-stories that elicit sympathy are a good way to fool people.

[thwart]

this whole thing. . . is just plain wierd.

BBD

Rhymes with beard.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Rhymes with beard.

. . . I've seen that aspect speculated upon. doesn't matter to me. It just looks like a big mess and I hope the guy can move on successfully.

BBD

[malcolm]

I think the same could be said for D-lines as well. ND D-Line put up so little a fight that by the time the game got into the 2nd and 3rd level, it was gone.

What I do think is that some players react differently from the time off than others. It was about 6-8 weeks off between games, it is hard to get back into game shape physically, regain mental sharpness especially...that part of the college system is certainly broken.

If Alabama and ND played in November or early Dec, I think the game would be much closer and more fun to watch.

I agree to an extent. I think the biggest difference in the off weeks was coaching and preparation. It's hard to beat a Nick Saban team period, it's really hard to beat them when he has over a month to get ready for a given team.

When I referred to the pro line being better what I really meant is the level of play is greater at evey position in the pros, but it really seems to show in the trenches both O and D.

I don't think ND fielded a team that could play with Alabama at any time during this season and I also don't think this was the best team they have fielded in the past few years, both prior years were overall better, I think. referring to bama.

It was a combination of things not the least of which that they just played a considerably better team. The time off and the fact that they were overwhelmed by a team that just never let them get their footing didn't help either. In an interview with Barret Jones, who is not usually an arrogant guy, he said after the 1st drive he could feel a difference in effort and by the end of the second half it was like they had given up.

Multiple factors, but irrespective of the outcome and the girlfriend issue I was impressed with the coach and players after the game. You expect it from the coach but those young guys behaved with grace and class after what had to be one of the greatest dissappointments of their life.

[thwart]

I hope the guy can move on successfullyI totally agree, and hope we're not far away from there being no need for such 'stories'... if that turns out to be the reason for all this.

[crownjewelwl]

http://teoing.tumblr.com/post/40795449072/tandem-bike-ride-w-lennay

[ericssonboi]

anyone pose the question this could possibly a psychological issue? perhaps he thinks he did have a gf

[ericssonboi]

I just read some more stuff on the NYT site, and apparently there are tons of interviews out there where he talks about spending time with her in person. That means that the "I was fooled" line is BS.

I wonder if Oprah has some free air time next week ???

She's doing Drew Barrymore; why not fit in Te'o...

[Charles M]

The ***** talking that goes on over the ball in games...

I want to see Te-0 on letterman after his rookie season with the 10 best / worst things he hears...

She didn't die, she's at my house...

You're just as invisible as your girl

The Internet hits harder than you/my Internet connection is faster than you

bro the way you smell, no wonder she's dead.

What did you name your LEFT hand?

....and.... Is it dead too?

If she gets pregnant, how much you gotta pay for invisible child care?

My imaginary friend did your girl...


When you had sex, did she make, like, a fax machine noise?

So I hear your hittin Amelia Earhart now.

Did you even have a grandma? (Other opposing player"oh yeah, my imaginary friend nailed his grandma too")

You know shes alive righ? she just moved to Alabama...

I thought y'all Norte dame guys went for boys online...

[spartanKid]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8857057/friend-says-ronaiah-tuiasosopo-confessed-manti-teo-girlfriend-hoax


Sounds like this Ronaiah Tuisasosopo guy has done this whole scheme at least once before, but the dude caught on earlier than Manti did:

J.R. Vaosa, 28, of Torrance, Calif., and Celeste Tuioti-Mariner, 21, of Whittier, Calif., said that in 2008 their cousin began an online romance with a woman who portrayed herself as a model. Vaosa said the cousin showed Vaosa a picture on MySpace of a woman from a Victoria's Secret catalog that he said was Kekua. Vaosa said that the online Kekua would agree to meet his cousin at certain places. Vaosa said he went with the cousin to meet her.

"When Lennay said she was gonna be at this park one day, we'd go to the park and Ronaiah pops up and then we go to the gym in Orange County where the kids have volleyball tournaments, Ronaiah's there," Vaosa said.

Finally, the family convinced Vaosa's cousin that something wasn't right and he needed to cut things off not only with Kekua, but Tuiasosopo, whom they were convinced was the real Kekua, Tuioti-Mariner said.

[Ray]

Enough about LA? This whole hoax was cooked up by Lance to divert attention.

-Ray

[yngpunk]

I don't know if Sports Department reporters are more prone to this than anyone else, but it's becoming more and more obvious that many of them are fans first and reporters second.


NPR did a piece on this this AM. Essentially concluded that they wanted to believe so neglected to follow up on their supposed training as reporters to question everything. One comment that was mentioned was how hard was it to call Stanford and ask if this person was even a student.

[Charles M]

You're not getting confidential info from Stanford...

[crownjewelwl]

You're not getting confidential info from Stanford...

finding out if someone is/was a student is quite easy...

[vqdriver]

http://m.espn.go.com/ncf/story?storyId=8857057

[Tony T]

Katie Couric to Interview Manti Te’o (http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/katie-couric-to-interview-manti-teo/?hp)

[ultraman6970]

The manti guy is an idiot!!!

[djg]

From the Post's Melinda Henneberger: At Notre Dame, a Fake Tragedy Gets More Tears than a Real One: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2013/01/17/a-fake-tragedy-gets-more-tears-than-a-real-one/

And this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/12/04/why-i-wont-be-cheering-for-old-notre-dame/

[Louis]

From the Post's Melinda Henneberger: At Notre Dame, a Fake Tragedy Gets More Tears than a Real One

Just a reminder of what's truly important to that institution: Image, Big-time college football, and money.

Same thing when that kid doing the video for the football team (I can't remember his name) was killed in the falling crane - coverup and denial: "no, there wasn't much wind" etc. etc.

[vqdriver]

The manti guy is an idiot!!!

no. naive and not educated in the world, yes.

honestly, there's no story here. dude got played and lied about it cuz he was superembarassed. but there's no crime. no one knew he would be a heisman finalist back in september and that (and nd's season) is the only reason it's got any pub at all. lying about having a girlfriend? really? how the fock is that front page news?


but yes, cfb has gotten way way out of hand. but for a whooole lot of other reasons. i don't fault nd for this te'o fiasco. where i do fault nd is in the declan sullivan (cameraman) case and the lizzy seeberg (sexual assault) case.

[crownjewelwl]

http://deadspin.com/5980822/heres-ronaiah-tuiasosopo-attempting-to-perform-what-he-claims-is-lennays-voice-on-dr-phil