Manti T'eo's dead girlfriend is a hoax

[redscoon]

[godfather]

Do you really find this funny?

I mean, to each his own, but man I find this sad & sick.

I say this as a ND, I find the entire situation disturbing, and strange.

[godfather]

Already read it.

Manti is probably gay, is what I'll take away from it.

So what if he is.

But you seriously didn't take that way from the article.

[howler1313]

https://twitter.com/justinrmegahan

A lot of tweets, but looks like Te'o really was just incredibly naive. Makes you wonder how he was fooled so bad though.

[MGMT]

[Pick6]

Can anybody find me what was the date the last time Te'o spoke about his imaginary girlfriend?

[Bob_The_Cat]

Can anybody find me what was the date the last time Te'o spoke about his imaginary girlfriend?

www.google.com

[Spectre]

If he really did get duped then this is just sad and twisted... I find it hard to believe he's that gullible but I guess you never know.

[Juicy]

Arizona Cardinal players are now saying they've met this chick. This story is so bizarre now.

[Snarly]

With the 6th Pick In the 2013 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns Select... Manti T'eo........'s fake girlfriend! Then Manti T'eo In the second round. We need some more Imagination On Defense.

[Tlyons]

whiffing tackles and blowing coverage has nothing to do with Bama's line.

You can't be serious. Don't make me defend an SEC team anymore.

[ewizacft]

With the 6th Pick In the 2013 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns Select... Manti T'eo........'s fake girlfriend! Then Manti T'eo In the second round. We need some more Imagination On Defense.

The Browns would have to use some imagination to take him in the second round.

[MoFlo]

I'm not a Notre Dame fan, and even consider myself a Notre Dame hater... but I really don't think he concocted this story. I think he is incredibly naive and should be embarrassed that he fell for something like that, but I don't think he's guilty of any wrongdoing.

Problem is, his dad has stated that she's flown out to Hawaii & hung out with Te'o... There's just way too many holes in his story for me to believe him.

[Tecumseh]

I thought this story was joke until I saw it on all major news outlets.

1)Teo just wanted to believe she was real. There was enough evidence that she was real and Teo, being a man of faith just decided that he was "meant" to help her.

2)Possibly it was a coverup for him being gay. Mormon faith and Catholic football star don't exactly translate into him being well received if he was gay. But to go to this extent? Just find a real online girl who lives a couple thousand miles away and call her your gf.

3) Trying to boost his draft stock or Heisman stock. Draft stock increase would be marginal. I mean I would hope NFL teams evaluate you on your skill and not whether you had a friend or relative die. Heisman I could see. Voters might be sympathetic to that story. But again, to go to this extent? In an age when the Internet almost makes it impossible to have a private life especially as a major sports figure. It just doesn't add up. He was already going to be a top pick with or without a love story attached.

Possibly, a hoax artist would hope that their actions would raise his draft stock and give him more money or endorsements and that money would be given to them. I can see that.

I feel bad for Teo. Regardless of whether this is a hoax on him or committed by him he is in an awful spot. He either looks like an idiot and naive or he looks sick. Its one thing to make up a GF. But to have her have cancer is on a completely different level.

[JiggleIt]

What's with the gay rumors? How would any of this tie in to being gay? There's no evidence whatsoever that he's into guys.

Here's my best guess as to what happened:

There is someone Manti met who went by that (possibly) fake name. She approached him online and they began online correspondence. He did meet her in person, as did other players and people that know Manti. And she was introduced to them by that name.

For whatever bizarre reason, this person then fakes the illness and "dies," and he does not see her again. Perhaps the girl was money or fame motivated and decided to give up on the relationship or had the death thing planned all along.

Manti finds out somehow that it was a hoax and is humiliated and starts some series of lies to cover it up, asks others to participate and hopes it will blow over. He's pretty far in at this point, what with others having met her and articles being written, so he sees that as his only choice. To cover up the embarrassment with lies. Obviously...he fails miserably.

All guesses obviously. Bizarre either way.