Manti T'eo's girlfriend

[JackBauer]

Cliff's Notes: she probably never existed.

http://deadspin.com/5976517/manti-te...ium=socialflow

[Iggloo]

I was just going to post this. Wow. I wonder where he is drafted now if this report is true.

http://deadspin.com/5976517/manti-te...ason-is-a-hoax

[Nastradamus]

I have no idea how true this is, but that's messed up if it is. I'm speechless

[dasher]

Catfish. Checkmate.

[Iggloo]

Catfish is referenced in the story, but I wonder if that is really the story here, or if the guy is actually gay. Bizarre.

[PsychoViking]

Will certainly make for some interesting questions. Will the Dolphins ask him if his dead girlfriend is a hooker?

[BigFin]

n/m

[Iggloo]

On a draft note, Gil Brandt is already speculating about whether Teo laid an egg in the title game because of these allegations.

You have to wonder what he did with this online "girlfriend" and whether more embarrassing info is to come about him sexting a dude or whatever.

[Gmaniac]

Notre Dame and Te'o say he was scammed/hoaxed:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...ctim-of-a-hoax

On Dec. 26, Notre Dame coaches were informed by Manti Te'o and his parents that Manti had been the victim of what appears to be a hoax in which someone using the fictitious name Lennay Kekua apparently ingratiated herself with Manti and then conspired with others to lead him to believe she had tragically died of leukemia. The University immediately initiated an investigation to assist Manti and his family in discovering the motive for and nature of this hoax. While the proper authorities will continue to investigate this troubling matter, this appears to be, at a minimum, a sad and very cruel deception to entertain its perpetrators.

"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. 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.

"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.

"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. I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been.

"In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people online than I was.

"Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I'm looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL Draft."

[Rob]

That's the craziest story I've read in quite some time. Really weird.

[Nastradamus]

There are a lot of different reports out there. Not sure what to believe just yet.

[Gmaniac]

Assuming Te'o is telling the truth now... I've never heard of such an elaborate hoax in my life. Apparently, Te'o spent hours upon hours (over months of time) talking on the phone, or chatting, with *someone* who was in on the hoax. Perhaps he even met with *someone* at the Stanford game...

That's a full time job of a hoax...

Te'o does have a sheltered, religious (Mormon) upbringing in rustic Hawaii. He presumably doesn't have a lot of experience in the dating department... and is probably more naive/inexperienced than most when it comes to online hijinks.

So if anyone is going to get scammed in such a way... I guess Te'o is the type of guy.

But damn.

--------

That's assuming Te'o is telling the truth now. If he's not and he is in on this somehow... he's a sociopathic, attention whoring headcase... and double damn.

[dasher]

All I know is that IF, just IF, he decided to lie about his girlfriend dying right after his grandmother (who he was super close with) died. Then he brings DARK to a whole different level.

[Nastradamus]

That's the thing, he totally cheapens his grandmother's death/memory with this crap. IF true of course. The whole story is clearly not out one way or another.

[Nastradamus]

A former teammate of Te'o's is saying he met the girl now and that one way or another, she was real. He's a FB on the Cardinals.

Then there's the whole Tuiasosopo angle. So bizarre.