Manti Te’o’s Dead Girlfriend is a Hoax *Merge*

[WV Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Rogah

That I actually believe. Probably pretty tough to perform well in the national spotlight when your entire life has fallen apart and all your lies are unravelling.

Right, .. you expect me to believe that when this is the same guy that had two pics and 10+ tackles the day he found out that his grandmother and "girlfriend" died.

Like I said, spin away.

[joseephuss]

Originally Posted by cajuncocoa

I guess people here forget how a false rape allegation against Michael Irvin and Erik Williams derailed the 1996 playoffs for us (the Panthers should have been a cakewalk for us).

You have to be joking.

Michael Irvin hurting his shoulder early in that game had more to do with that loss than the rape allegations.

Leon Lett being suspended again for drugs near the end of the 1996 season had a much bigger impact on the Cowboys playoff chances than those rape allegations.

[Manwiththeplan]

Originally Posted by Jay

I see a few options here.

1) Te'o was duped and had no idea, therefore making him one of the dumbest, most gullible people of all time. Oh, and a liar, since if you back track to quotes, he made endless amounts of stuff up. I mean you never go and visit? Have never seen her? But she's the love of your life? Yeah, okay.

2) Te'o was in on it and used it as a publicity stunt to hype him up, in which case he's pretty messed up in the head to fake a girlfriend that dies from leukemia.

3) Te'o "plays for the other team". Since he's Mormon and attending a Catholic school, he made up these crazy lies to attempt to divert any thought about him being a fan of sausages rather than tacos.

For his sake, I think #3 would be the best outcome. I don't care how you look at 1 or 2, he will still come off looking incredibly dumb.

[View Full Quote]All of this is just my opinion, I don't hate ND have no agendas. I find it incredibly hard to believe that someone can meet the "love of their life" without meeting them, ever. I also find it hard to believe he would purposely do something like this for attention. Maybe it's a combo of 1 and 2, where he was duped, embarrassed, so ran with it. But even then, is there a point to fake killing the "girl"? Could have just broken up with her.

I just find it hard to look at Te'o like he's the "victim". If it was all a big joke played on him, the real joke is the fact that this guy actually fell for it. I don't care about other Catfish stories of anything like that, this particular case with the details we know so far, anyone here ready to openly admit that anything like this could happen to them? Meet the love of your life online, who gets in a life threatening car accident, has leukemia, you never visit her and have never seen her... But you've dated for almost 2 years?

Seriously think about that. That's laughable.

I can actually buy the victim thing. Due to his faith, I can see him finding a spiritual connection with someone online, or atleast hoping to. Someone who isn't as superficial as most of the girls he meets, especially if he's a guy that has social anxiety, ala Ricky Williams.

[Stryker44]

Originally Posted by Manwiththeplan

I can actually buy the victim thing. Due to his faith, I can see him finding a spiritual connection with someone online, or atleast hoping to. Someone who isn't as superficial as most of the girls he meets, especially if he's a guy that has social anxiety, ala Ricky Williams.

I agree...but the dude was a star football player at Notre Dame. I bet women are throwing themselves at him.

It seems like this whole long-distance girlfriend thing is far-fetched...particularly given his notoriety and that he doesn't seem like an introvert. His faith would have to be incredibly strong to not give into that - either that or maybe he's in the closet.

Guess its just alot easier to see the logic in him perpetrating the hoax rather than him falling for it, at least for me.

[joseephuss]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...irlfriend-hoax

Friend: Tuiasosopo admitted to hoax

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the man who has been publicly identified as being behind the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax, called a church friend in early December crying and admitted to duping the Heisman finalist, the friend told Outside the Lines Thursday.

The friend, a woman in her mid-20s, agreed to be interviewed under the condition that she not be identified, saying she was fearful for her family's safety because of the overwhelming publicity the story has generated. In the interview, she did allow for her voice to be recorded.

[WV Cowboy]

Originally Posted by joseephuss

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...irlfriend-hoax

Friend: Tuiasosopo admitted to hoax

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the man who has been publicly identified as being behind the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax, called a church friend in early December crying and admitted to duping the Heisman finalist, the friend told Outside the Lines Thursday.

That is probably how it started, but ended with Te'O lying and lying to cover himself.

So who was the girl that he spoke on the phone with at length? .. she needs to come forward.

[Fritsch_the_cat]

Originally Posted by WV Cowboy

So who was the girl that he spoke on the phone with at length? .. she needs to come forward.

I'd still like to know why he never went to see her after she was nearly killed in a car crash, or lay dying of Lukemia, or why he wouldn't have attended her funeral.


None of that passes the smell test.

[17yearsandcounting]

Originally Posted by joseephuss

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...irlfriend-hoax

Friend: Tuiasosopo admitted to hoax

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the man who has been publicly identified as being behind the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax, called a church friend in early December crying and admitted to duping the Heisman finalist, the friend told Outside the Lines Thursday.

The friend, a woman in her mid-20s, agreed to be interviewed under the condition that she not be identified, saying she was fearful for her family's safety because of the overwhelming publicity the story has generated. In the interview, she did allow for her voice to be recorded.

How do we know this isnt a hoax?

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Originally Posted by WV Cowboy

That is probably how it started, but ended with Te'O lying and lying to cover himself.

So who was the girl that he spoke on the phone with at length? .. she needs to come forward.

Maybe Tuiasosopo is a lady boy with a really feminine voice?

[Rogah]

Originally Posted by 17yearsandcounting

Hows about this:

Via ESPN:

"Dan Tudesco, a 2006 graduate who now works in public relations in New York, set up an online account at fundraising website indiegogo.com on Jan. 9 to solicit $5,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc. The initial pitch said donations would go to the society in memory of Lennay Kekua and in honor of Te'o, "two individuals who have been an inspiration to us through an iconic season."

Tudesco said he and three friends got the fundraising idea after a seeing a video that went viral of Te'o holding his head in dismay during the Irish's 42-14 loss to Alabama in the national championship game on Jan. 7.

The goal was to turn the loss -- and the player's sudden popularity -- into something positive.

[View Full Quote]"I think we were all kind of disappointed in the result of the game ... and the Manti story was very inspirational," Tudesco told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Notre Dame took notice of Tudesco's tweets about the fund drive and sent a university videographer to shoot an interview with him. The video was posted on the Notre Dame athletics YouTube channel Tuesday.

Tudesco said he didn't believe Notre Dame was aware of the hoax when it promoted his fundraiser.

"It would surprise me that Notre Dame would want to promote this if they knew something like this was going on," Tudesco said.

However, Notre Dame officials said Wednesday that they became aware of the hoax on Dec. 26, nearly two weeks before the championship game. University spokesman Dennis Brown didn't immediately respond to a request seeking comment Thursday."

Not sure what you're getting at here. Sounds to me like Notre Dame's right hand didn't know what their left was doing, which is quite common in organizational structures. Believe it or not, an organization like Notre Dame isn't like the Borg, where one person finds something out and all of a sudden everyone knows.

[Rogah]

Originally Posted by 17yearsandcounting

And again, do you trust what Notre Dame has to say?

Notre Dame is obviously doing their best to minimize damage and control spin, but I do trust that they were not complicit in the hoax, nor did they know waaaaaaaaaaaay back in October that the whole story was a hoax.

[Rogah]

Originally Posted by 17yearsandcounting

Why even bother supporting him? He is graduated. He isnt the schools problem any more.

They obviously have to control the damage to their reputation.

Originally Posted by 17yearsandcounting

This is the same program that bullied a rape victim and let the perpetrators suit up in the championship game.

I have to admit I don't watch many news programs, but did Congress revoke the notion that people are innocent until proven guilty in this country?

Geez, I know I don't watch much news but I thought I'd have at least heard about something that big.

[Rogah]

Originally Posted by Jay

I see a few options here.

1) Te'o was duped and had no idea, therefore making him one of the dumbest, most gullible people of all time. Oh, and a liar, since if you back track to quotes, he made endless amounts of stuff up. I mean you never go and visit? Have never seen her? But she's the love of your life? Yeah, okay.

2) Te'o was in on it and used it as a publicity stunt to hype him up, in which case he's pretty messed up in the head to fake a girlfriend that dies from leukemia.

3) Te'o "plays for the other team". Since he's Mormon and attending a Catholic school, he made up these crazy lies to attempt to divert any thought about him being a fan of sausages rather than tacos.

I don't believe #3 is true but, if it is, then if he came out of the closet, Te'o IMMEDIATELY goes from a character of scorn and ridicule to a sympathetic figure overnight.

[Rogah]

Originally Posted by WV Cowboy

Right, .. you expect me to believe that when this is the same guy that had two pics and 10+ tackles the day he found out that his grandmother and "girlfriend" died.

Like I said, spin away.

I don't expect you to believe anything nor do I care what you believe, but if you understood football - which it seems you don't - then you would understand the value of clear minded preparation in advance of a big game.

I have to think it's tough to prepare, either mentally and physically, for the biggest game of your life when your life is falling apart because your magnificent hoax is unravelling before your eyes.

[WV Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Rogah

I don't expect you to believe anything nor do I care what you believe, but if you understood football - which it seems you don't - then you would understand the value of clear minded preparation in advance of a big game.

I have to think it's tough to prepare, either mentally and physically, for the biggest game of your life when your life is falling apart because your magnificent hoax is unravelling before your eyes.

Oh, you are right, I know nothing about football, or even sports in general.

I have never heard of a player, in any sport being able to play after something bad happened in their life. [/sarcasm]

As a matter of fact, I have heard many many examples of a player playing despite losing a friend or a family member.

Brett Favre comes to mind.
The Dallas Cowboys in Cinncy comes to mind.

Most say it let them forget about it for a while, and they played great.

Most recently was some guy from Notre Dame that played in a game, and played well if I remember right, .. after learning that his "girfriend" and grandmother had passed within 6 hours of each other.

Now that was a gutty performance!!

But now I am supposed to buy that the same guy's lame performance, in the biggest game of his life, was not because Bama stomped his butt, (along with every one of his teammates), .. but because he had something heavy weighing on his mind, .. evidently much worse than losing your grandmother and "girlfriend" on the same afternoon.

No, .. Notre Dame and Te'O got stomped by Bama for no other reason than Bama was a much better team, and ND did not belong on the same field with them that night.