Manti Te'o hoax (wth?!?)

[bmorecareful]

The Manti Te'o story is just really really odd. I dont see how a team can just look past it. Either hes in on it and obviously shady and the purpose would be questionable at best or he wasnt and you almost have to question the guys intelligence to be duped by such a thing. At the very least is he mature/responsible enough to hand the pressure of being an NFL player on and off the field?

I think he was in on it personally, because he and his father have claimed to have met the girl multiple times in Hawaii. How do you meet somebody that doesnt exist and continue to believe they do? The fact that he would fake such a thing for national attention, or whatever the case, is definitely raising questions about his maturity and character. things that have dropped far better talents in the draft.

Well said. I agree with you 100%. At this point, I GUARANTEE you there are multiple teams who have taken him off their draft board. The thing I don't get is... does he really expect this thing to blow over? The teams are going to investigate this very thoroughly and nothing in his background is going to stay hidden. If he isn't telling 100% of the truth (and I think most people agree he isn't) it's going to get found out and hurt his draft stock even more.

At this point, like I said, he's going to be undraftable to some teams... others will drop him substantially... I think he's CERTAINLY out of the 1st round right now. Worst case scenario, he pulls a Burfict and slides out of the draft. Best case, he goes in the 2nd.

[wickedsolo]

Well said. I agree with you 100%. At this point, I GUARANTEE you there are multiple teams who have taken him off their draft board. The thing I don't get is... does he really expect this thing to blow over? The teams are going to investigate this very thoroughly and nothing in his background is going to stay hidden. If he isn't telling 100% of the truth (and I think most people agree he isn't) it's going to get found out and hurt his draft stock even more.

At this point, like I said, he's going to be undraftable to some teams... others will drop him substantially... I think he's CERTAINLY out of the 1st round right now. Worst case scenario, he pulls a Burfict and slides out of the draft. Best case, he goes in the 2nd.

Or, maybe she/they do exist and are trying to extort $$$ from Te'o?

[NCRAVEN]

I think everyone who is reading into this Te'o story is doing so from their point of view.

This is a different generation that this kid is part of where people have entire lives and relationships online, it is absolutely possible for someone who has grown up with the internet to feel they have a relationship with someone online. People of my generation and older look at that and say that's absurd.

I haven't heard any where that the Teo's dad says he met her (maybe he did though).

MY take is Manti had what he felt was a relationship with this girl, who he talked to on the phone and someone was faking the voice, when people would like us ask how do you have relationship with someone you haven't met, he would start saying they met to stop those questions.

Maybe I am completely wrong and giving him the benefit of the doubt, but I as of right now believe he was a victim of a hoax and highly doubt he slips out of the 1st. I'll wait to hear the rest of the story from him though.

BTW - every passing judgement, did you know Notre Dame had an investigation and their investigator found the person that sat on the other end of the phone talking to Te'o...

[Paintballguy]

I think everyone who is reading into this Te'o story is doing so from their point of view.

This is a different generation that this kid is part of where people have entire lives and relationships online, it is absolutely possible for someone who has grown up with the internet to feel they have a relationship with someone online. People of my generation and older look at that and say that's absurd.

I haven't heard any where that the Teo's dad says he met her (maybe he did though).

MY take is Manti had what he felt was a relationship with this girl, who he talked to on the phone and someone was faking the voice, when people would like us ask how do you have relationship with someone you haven't met, he would start saying they met to stop those questions.

Maybe I am completely wrong and giving him the benefit of the doubt, but I as of right now believe he was a victim of a hoax and highly doubt he slips out of the 1st. I'll wait to hear the rest of the story from him though.

BTW - every passing judgement, did you know Notre Dame had an investigation and their investigator found the person that sat on the other end of the phone talking to Te'o...

I'm reading the story from deadspin which laid out everything, so there is no point of view involved. It's pretty obvious that Te'o got caught in his lies. I'm sorry but I'm around the same age, and I'd never fall for any of this crap. Talking with someone online without meeting them does not equal a relationship. Also, you are telling me a star football player can't get laid by local girls, so he has to go online? Give me a break.

[NCRAVEN]

I'm reading the story from deadspin which laid out everything, so there is no point of view involved. It's pretty obvious that Te'o got caught in his lies. I'm sorry but I'm around the same age, and I'd never fall for any of this crap. Talking with someone online without meeting them does not equal a relationship. Also, you are telling me a star football player can't get laid by local girls, so he has to go online? Give me a break.

So the deadspin story is the end all be all?

And because you can't fall for it, no one else can?

Te'o getting laid is entirely irrelevant.

[HoustonRaven]

NC -- he said in numerous interviews that he met her. Met her.

One thing us for sure that there are a lot of lies in all of this.

[srobert96]

The Manti Te'o story is just really really odd. I dont see how a team can just look past it. Either hes in on it and obviously shady and the purpose would be questionable at best or he wasnt and you almost have to question the guys intelligence to be duped by such a thing. At the very least is he mature/responsible enough to hand the pressure of being an NFL player on and off the field?

I think he was in on it personally, because he and his father have claimed to have met the girl multiple times in Hawaii. How do you meet somebody that doesnt exist and continue to believe they do? The fact that he would fake such a thing for national attention, or whatever the case, is definitely raising questions about his maturity and character. things that have dropped far better talents in the draft.

If he was duped, I don't think it should have too much impact on his draft position. Pro and College players get duped all the time. They get defrauded. You just don't hear about it until much later. Apparently there was a girl posing as this Lennay person. There was a fullback on the Cardinals who said he has met her. It is a bizarre story but I would much rather have a naive player than a thug. Teo has handled the pressure of being the face of ND football which is far greater than being in the NFL. I am sure there have been some white lies along the way. Probably too embarrassed to tell people he met her online or has never really seen her in person.

Now if he is in on the hoax he is going to get crushed. Apparently there is something called catfish which is now popular. It is basically playing elaborate Hoaxes. I think it may be an MTV show. Apparently this was a catfish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish_%28film%29

[Paintballguy]

NC -- he said in numerous interviews that he met her. Met her.

One thing us for sure that there are a lot of lies in all of this.

Exactly. It's just very fishy to me.

[BigPlayReceiver]

I don't like ND... at all.

I believe the core of Teo's situation.
I believe him and his family got wrapped up and stretched the truth.
I believe ND and sports media monkeys ran with it b/c it made a great narrative.

Still a 2nd rounder IMO... and that's b/c of Alabama, and not this hoax.

[NCRAVEN]

NC -- he said in numerous interviews that he met her. Met her.

One thing us for sure that there are a lot of lies in all of this.

I get that. To me and you that means in person. Haven't you ever hearing of people "meeting online" or it's also possible about what I said him saying they "met" to stop questions about why are you with a girl you haven't met

There are a lot of lies, and I don't think he's entirely innocent, but I feel the majority of it he was caught up in a hoax. Maybe when he found out he started lying and said we met etc.

But I don't believe he started the whole thing from the beginning and called a phone for hours with no one on the other end (which ND's investigation confirmed he did do) to tell people he talked to his girlfriend at night. If he did that than he is mentally ill.

[NCRAVEN]

If he was duped, I don't think it should have too much impact on his draft position. Pro and College players get duped all the time. They get defrauded. You just don't hear about it until much later. Apparently there was a girl posing as this Lennay person. There was a fullback on the Cardinals who said he has met her. It is a bizarre story but I would much rather have a naive player than a thug. Teo has handled the pressure of being the face of ND football which is far greater than being in the NFL. I am sure there have been some white lies along the way. Probably too embarrassed to tell people he met her online or has never really seen her in person.

Now if he is in on the hoax he is going to get crushed. Apparently there is something called catfish which is now popular. It is basically playing elaborate Hoaxes. I think it may be an MTV show. Apparently this was a catfish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish_%28film%29

Bingo.

[HoustonRaven]

Notre Dame is very image conscious so I'd take anything they are saying right now with a grain of salt.

Waiting for the press to break the story instead of of simply coming out with it back in December doesn't make sense to me.

And now there's a person connected to the incident saying he's 80% sure Te'o was in on it.

And where's the money? Thousands were sent to a memorial fund in the past months. That's where the final truth is going to come out. Whomever set up and / or collected those funds is the monster in all of this.

[bmorecareful]

I get that. To me and you that means in person. Haven't you ever hearing of people "meeting online" or it's also possible about what I said him saying they "met" to stop questions about why are you with a girl you haven't met

There are a lot of lies, and I don't think he's entirely innocent, but I feel the majority of it he was caught up in a hoax. Maybe when he found out he started lying and said we met etc.

But I don't believe he started the whole thing from the beginning and called a phone for hours with no one on the other end (which ND's investigation confirmed he did do) to tell people he talked to his girlfriend at night. If he did that than he is mentally ill.

Get one thing straight--Notre Dame's investigative/security staff have one goal in mind: Protect Notre Dame. Their goal is NOT to uncover the truth and NOT to reveal any truth they uncover along the way if it contradicts the real goal. They don't work for anybody but Notre Dame, a totally private institution that we have PLENTY of proof puts its legacy and its stature above all else.

What did their investigators uncover? How did they uncover it? What, they pulled cell phone logs and found 8 hour phone calls at night to the same number (like Te'o said had happened)? That doesn't prove squat particularly if Te'o was in on it as most of us who read the Deadspin article think. Did they find the person on the other end of the phone? That also doesn't prove squat because it's probable Manti knew them.

See, the problem is... if Te'o was in on it, you're NOT going to find anybody in power willing to say that. ND sure won't, because even if they WANTED to, they have to rely on Manti and his family to conduct their investigation (if nothing else they need their permission to search through their records, etc. unless it's public information like social media.) The NCAA may want to conduct their own investigation but we know how fraudulent they are so the same suspicion of ND would apply.

There's no criminal violations here unless it's proven that money changed hands over Lennay Kekua... i.e., that charities were established in her name and money was donated to them by outside parties. THAT would be charity fraud... in which case law enforcement would be our best bet to get to the real bottom of this. But I don't know if that happened, although I speculate it may have.

[JAB1985]

I think everyone who is reading into this Te'o story is doing so from their point of view.

This is a different generation that this kid is part of where people have entire lives and relationships online, it is absolutely possible for someone who has grown up with the internet to feel they have a relationship with someone online. People of my generation and older look at that and say that's absurd.

I haven't heard any where that the Teo's dad says he met her (maybe he did though).

MY take is Manti had what he felt was a relationship with this girl, who he talked to on the phone and someone was faking the voice, when people would like us ask how do you have relationship with someone you haven't met, he would start saying they met to stop those questions.

Maybe I am completely wrong and giving him the benefit of the doubt, but I as of right now believe he was a victim of a hoax and highly doubt he slips out of the 1st. I'll wait to hear the rest of the story from him though.

BTW - every passing judgement, did you know Notre Dame had an investigation and their investigator found the person that sat on the other end of the phone talking to Te'o...

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/co...icle-1.1241663

And how about Te’o’s father, Brian, who told the South Bend Tribune that the two met at a game at Stanford in 2009 and started out as just friends and “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?

[JAB1985]

If he was duped, I don't think it should have too much impact on his draft position. Pro and College players get duped all the time. They get defrauded. You just don't hear about it until much later. Apparently there was a girl posing as this Lennay person. There was a fullback on the Cardinals who said he has met her. It is a bizarre story but I would much rather have a naive player than a thug. Teo has handled the pressure of being the face of ND football which is far greater than being in the NFL. I am sure there have been some white lies along the way. Probably too embarrassed to tell people he met her online or has never really seen her in person.

Now if he is in on the hoax he is going to get crushed. Apparently there is something called catfish which is now popular. It is basically playing elaborate Hoaxes. I think it may be an MTV show. Apparently this was a catfish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish_%28film%29

certainly could be part of it and being embarrassed seems like a plausible scenario, but i dont think hed go unscathed completely because of it personally. Some teams will look at that as questionable, even if its only a few and they only move him down slightly its going to effect him.

Im not sure whats to be embarrassed about if he did indeed meet her in 2009 after a game. Keeping an online relationship in todays society is just one way to keep in touch under a long distance relationship. Even solely meeting online isnt as taboo as it used to be.

[NCRAVEN]

Get one thing straight--Notre Dame's investigative/security staff have one goal in mind: Protect Notre Dame. Their goal is NOT to uncover the truth and NOT to reveal any truth they uncover along the way if it contradicts the real goal. They don't work for anybody but Notre Dame, a totally private institution that we have PLENTY of proof puts its legacy and its stature above all else.

Very true

What did their investigators uncover? How did they uncover it? What, they pulled cell phone logs and found 8 hour phone calls at night to the same number (like Te'o said had happened)? That doesn't prove squat particularly if Te'o was in on it as most of us who read the Deadspin article think. Did they find the person on the other end of the phone? That also doesn't prove squat because it's probable Manti knew them.

I would think these would be questions we'd ask before using our jump to concussions mat

And yes, to my knowledge the invetagtors did find who were at the other end of that phone, as well as the guy who is in the movie "catfish" who was a victim of "Catfishing", saying he found the woman behind it.

There's no criminal violations here unless it's proven that money changed hands over Lennay Kekua... i.e., that charities were established in her name and money was donated to them by outside parties. THAT would be charity fraud... in which case law enforcement would be our best bet to get to the real bottom of this. But I don't know if that happened, although I speculate it may have.

Which is why I have to believe if Te;o is smart enough to conjure this up, he'd have to be smart enough to know that money would be tracked and led back to him in some way shape or form. And if he wasn't smart enough Notre Dame certainly would be, so I can't see them standing behind Te'o if he was behind it. There is no better way to protect yourself than throwing the guy under the bus and washing your hands of the situation.

[JAB1985]

Or, maybe she/they do exist and are trying to extort $$$ from Te'o?

I guess this is possible but why not just say that instead of saying she didnt exist and you were duped?... its far less embarrassing and damaging to him to just say that if it is indeed what happened.

[HoustonRaven]

Why / how would Notre Dame investigate the money trail? They're powerful, but they can't access bank records or track money.

Look, the totality of this is very daming. At a minimum, he has some 'splainin to do.

He talked about Stanford yet nobody else has ever met her.

She was in a car accident yet never went to see her in the hospital.

She was killed by a horrible disease yet he didn't go to her funeral.

He talked about a closed casket yet how would he know?

Either he's incredibly stupid or he's in on it.

[NCRAVEN]

I guess this is possible but why not just say that instead of saying she didnt exist and you were duped?... its far less embarrassing and damaging to him to just say that if it is indeed what happened.

He could only come out and say that if he knew it. It may not have ever gotten to that point.

I have no idea really, just playing devil's advocate on that one.

[NCRAVEN]

Why / how would Notre Dame investigate the money trail? They're powerful, but they can't access bank records or track money.

Not what I meant. They had forensic computer specialist track everything. I would think that would uncover if he was in on it. Of course with all other evidence of phone records and having found the person/people who were behind it. So ND has to be smart enough to know that someone is going to want to know where the money went and if they found out Te'o was in on it, ND would have egg on their face.

Look, the totality of this is very daming. At a minimum, he has some 'splainin to do.

He talked about Stanford yet nobody else has ever met her.

She was in a car accident yet never went to see her in the hospital.

She was killed by a horrible disease yet he didn't go to her funeral.

He talked about a closed casket yet how would he know?

Either he's incredibly stupid or he's in on it.

He definitely has some explaining to do. After JAB posted that link, I want to know why the Dad said he met her, that does cause me to question this a bit more.