Manti Te'o hoax

[TS Garp]

Surprised no one has posted this yet. This story is INSANE:

http://deadspin.com/5976517/manti-teos-dead-girlfriend-the-most-heartbreaking-and-inspirational-story-of-the-college-football-season-is-a-hoax

[Erik]

It's totally worth the read.

To me, just as interesting as the hoax is that the mainstream media, in its rush to mythologize the guy, never bothered to verify whether his "girlfriend" actually existed.

[Erik]

I think one of three things is going on here.

1. Te'o was the victim of a hoax and fell in love with a Twitter account that he believed was a real person. Which still means that he lied when he said that he visited her in Hawaii, etc.

2. Te'o was in on the hoax, which he and his friend(s) (and his parents?) made up to further mythologize him as part of his Heisman campaign.

3. Te'o and Tuiasosopo were gay lovers buy couldn't come out because of cultural issues; the fake Twitter account was how they communicated, and a cover for what was really going on.

I am inclined to believe #2, but I wouldn't be surprised by anything at this point.

[revo]

Teo's statement:
"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."

[Erik]

Teo's statement:
"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."

Doesn't address why he claimed to have met her.

[revo]

Doesn't address why he claimed to have met her.

and clearly he never spoke with her either. And somehow, all of these reporters were told details of how they met by him. Can you say "plummeting draft stock?"

[JudeBaldo]

I think one of three things is going on here.

1. Te'o was the victim of a hoax and fell in love with a Twitter account that he believed was a real person. Which still means that he lied when he said that he visited her in Hawaii, etc.

2. Te'o was in on the hoax, which he and his friend(s) (and his parents?) made up to further mythologize him as part of his Heisman campaign.

3. Te'o and Tuiasosopo were gay lovers buy couldn't come out because of cultural issues; the fake Twitter account was how they communicated, and a cover for what was really going on.

I am inclined to believe #2, but I wouldn't be surprised by anything at this point.

No way number one is even remotely plausible. My theory is a combination of two and three.

[JudeBaldo]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-best-25-twitter-responses-to-notre-dame-star-m

Awesome stuff from Buzzfeed.

[Bodhizefa]

Questionable make-up and a weird addiction to social media? He just moved up to the top of the Miami Dolphins' draft board!

What a nutso story, by the way. Even my wife was flummoxed. Her initial response: "The most unbelievable part is that an attractive and renowned football player was ever in an online-only relationship and called her his girlfriend. You're telling me this guy couldn't get a date? I'm calling bullshit."

[Erik]

What a nutso story, by the way. Even my wife was flummoxed. Her initial response: "The most unbelievable part is that an attractive and renowned football player was ever in an online-only relationship and called her his girlfriend. You're telling me this guy couldn't get a date? I'm calling bullshit."

It makes more sense if you know that he's Mormon. They don't tend to have had much in the way of sex ed.

[Erik]

An even weirder dimension to the story:

Cardinals FB Reagan Mauia says he met the "fake girlfriend." He said this after the initial story broke.

http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2013/01/16/lennay-kekua-manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend-was-real-says-arizona-cardinals-fullback-reagan-mauia-who-claims-to-have-met-her/

Was he duped too? Did the hoax get so elaborate that someone posed as her at one point? Or he is just messing with us?

[baldgriff]

Mant....what

So my morning drive in was spent listening to Sports Talk radio about this story...... what a waste of a ride in.

[revo]

this story is just so bizarre.

Biggest question -- if Te'o was duped by a male family friend, as he now claims, then why would he make up all this nonsense about 8-hour phone calls, sending flowers, etc.? Obviously he never spent 8 hours talking on the phone to any chicks, because none are involved here, even on the hoaxers side. Why would he tell his father about meeting her in Hawaii, etc.?

[Pogues]

I once fell in love with someone over the internet. So much so I nearly left my wife over her.

Turned out it was just Heyelander playing a prank on me. I still hate him.

[heyelander]

I once fell in love with someone over the internet. So much so I nearly left my wife over her.

Turned out it was just Heyelander playing a prank on me. I still hate him.

you are one nasty phone sex freak though...