Manti Te'o and His Imaginary Girlfriend

[Sunstroke]

so it's not a lie if the person doesn't know you are lying? That's still a lie to me.

I have no idea where that statement came from, as I said nothing of the sort. When someone twists another person's words around to create new meaning, that's a very special sort of lie.

[Pappy13]

He claimed that he shook her hand.  How does one do that online?

The entire idea that he met her "online" at a Stanford away game is ridiculous.  He met her "online" when he happened to be visiting the school she goes to?

You are reaching incredibly hard.

Perhaps. Perhaps the story took on a life of it's own through the media and Te'o didn't do much to really stop it until he realized it was all a hoax.

I can't find the article now, but I'm pretty sure that I read it on Yahoo yesterday. It was one of the articles where the ND athletic director was relaying what Te'o had told him. ND has been investigating this since around Dec 26th.

Update: Here is the link

That obviously ran counter to public comments Te'o had made, including a South Bend Tribune story that ran earlier in the season. Te'o's father, Brian, also was quoted several times in the media about his son meeting Lennay.

"That's pretty much Brian Te'o," a source said. "He's a great guy, but he loves to add color."

[Pappy13]

I have no idea where that statement came from, as I said nothing of the sort.

I'm sorry, that's what I thought you were saying when you said this...

"I learned a long time ago that if you master the English language, you can pretty much say anything you want to say without fear of offending someone (if you don't want to offend) or without resorting to lying"

I must have misconstrued what you meant. Sorry, no harm intended.

[SCFinfan]

New news:

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

Apparently, there is now some story that Tuiasosopo has confessed to a third party regarding what he did. It's not much, but it's something.

[EDGECRUSHER]

He Skyped with his parents all the time but never with his own girlfriend? If he was duped, how did he call his girlfriend in the hospital for 8 hours just to hear her breath?

I'm sorry, but I don't know how anyone can think he wasn't in on this and just made it up. If he was duped, his intelligence is so low he would not have completed high school, let alone college.

[Spider-Dan]

Update: Here is the link

That obviously ran counter to public comments Te'o had made, including a South Bend Tribune story that ran earlier in the season. Te'o's father, Brian, also was quoted several times in the media about his son meeting Lennay.

"That's pretty much Brian Te'o," a source said. "He's a great guy, but he loves to add color."

An anonymous source is not "ND officials."

[SCFinfan]

He Skyped with his parents all the time but never with his own girlfriend? If he was duped, how did he call his girlfriend in the hospital for 8 hours just to hear her breath?

I'm sorry, but I don't know how anyone can think he wasn't in on this and just made it up. If he was duped, his intelligence is so low he would not have completed high school, let alone college.

That, or he was truly in love. Sometimes love will blind someone. Not an excuse, just another possibility.

[EDGECRUSHER]

But he Skyped with his parents, why not his girlfriend?

All I know is, he lied about meeting her and everything else points to him being a liar, so he loses the benefit of the doubt. I hear from a few places that he is gay and this was just a cover. If so, I feel sorry for him not being able to come out due to religious and social stigmas, but fake break up with her. Don't fake kill her with cancer AFTER a car accident just as your Grandmother dies. That's just begging for pity and Heisman votes.

I don't know what will hurt his draft stock more: being mentally disturbed or being gay? Nothing wrong with the second, but the NFL isn't the most tolerant of places.

[SCFinfan]

But he Skyped with his parents, why not his girlfriend?

All I know is, he lied about meeting her and everything else points to him being a liar, so he loses the benefit of the doubt. I hear from a few places that he is gay and this was just a cover. If so, I feel sorry for him not being able to come out due to religious and social stigmas, but fake break up with her. Don't fake kill her with cancer AFTER a car accident just as your Grandmother dies. That's just begging for pity and Heisman votes.

I don't know what will hurt his draft stock more: being mentally disturbed or being gay? Nothing wrong with the second, but the NFL isn't the most tolerant of places.

Where have you heard he's gay?

[SCFinfan]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--manti-te-o-speaks-for-first-time-since-revelation-of-girlfriend-hoax---043012320.html

Jeremy Schaap's interview w/ Manti is starting to confirm what I've come around to believe: yeah, he lied about meeting her because he realized how weird it would be to say that to reporters. But, as it was, he really cared about her, and was just too naive to realize what was happening to him.

[EDGECRUSHER]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--manti-te-o-speaks-for-first-time-since-revelation-of-girlfriend-hoax---043012320.html

Jeremy Schaap's interview w/ Manti is starting to confirm what I've come around to believe: yeah, he lied about meeting her because he realized how weird it would be to say that to reporters. But, as it was, he really cared about her, and was just too naive to realize what was happening to him.

He was asked why he didn't visit her in the hospital as she was dying. He said, and I paraphrase "I don't know, it never dawned on me. I was in school". So, scumbag at worst, liar at best.

[SCFinfan]

He was asked why he didn't visit her in the hospital as she was dying. He said, and I paraphrase "I don't know, it never dawned on me. I was in school". So, scumbag at worst, liar at best.

Damn, you hate the kid.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

He got duped.  Rather than admit he got duped, he lied so he wouldn't look stupid.  It backfired. 

I don't think he really set out to deceive anyone, or get unjustified sympothy.  He just didn't want to admit he got duped so he killed her off so people would stop asking questions.

If he was in a position of high responsiblity or running for political office this would concern me.  Being his primary skill involves knocking people carrying an inflated pigskin to the ground, I don't see this as an issue. 

[CF DolFan]

Character is always an issue for a leader in pretty much anything ... isn't it?

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Character is always an issue for a leader in pretty much anything ... isn't it?

Yeah.  But this guys key skill is knocking people to the ground. 

If "character" was the always the key issue for football players, Tim Tebow would be a better QB than Micheal Vick.