Manti T'eo & The Mystery of the Undead Girlfriend

[floydnimrod]

I just love it when people that the media hypes up to be heroes end up crashing down to our level or worse. It is a constant reminder to not let the media pick your heroes or cram them down our throat.

Maybe it should be a reminder to stop idolizing other people and/or to stop thinking you know someone because you watch them on TV.

Exactly. Every time something like this happens, Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty writes essentially the same article on how athletes are not role models, athletes are the ones that need role models. Gets more true with every story.

[tBBP]

I just love it when people that the media hypes up to be heroes end up crashing down to our level or worse. It is a constant reminder to not let the media pick your heroes or cram them down our throat.

Maybe it should be a reminder to stop idolizing other people and/or to stop thinking you know someone because you watch them on TV.

Exactly. Every time something like this happens, Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty writes essentially the same article on how athletes are not role models, athletes are the ones that need role models. Gets more true with every story.

See? Charles Barkley was right all along.

[FiddySicks]

I can't be the only one that didn't even know about this who "dead girlfriend" story before the hoax part all came out...

Can I?

Neither did I, and I watched WAY more Notre Dame football than I ever intended to this season. I kept up on Te'o a bit too because he was such a surprising recruit for them, and I never heard a word about his girlfriend until they announced she was fake. I find it a little surprising that there are people out there that feel this is such a big offense that he's nearly undraftable now. I say so what? He made up having a girlfriend. He's not the first one in the history of man to do so.

[Cosmic]

I did some digging and found this exclusive picture of Teo's girlfriend --

So you're saying she's going to become real at some point?

Snuffy became real? When did that happen?

. . . keep in mind I'm 45, so that must have been after my time.

There were some high profile incidents (pedophilia I think) in the 80's, where kids told grown-ups what was going on but the grown-ups didn't believe them. The Sesame Street people decided that the grown-ups on the show should believe Big Bird and that he was telling the truth all along. Previously, they made fun of him for making things up.

[McCall]

"Oh, I see her face everywhere I go

On the street, and even at the picture show

Have you seen her?

Tell me, have you seen her?"

(Best one I've heard so far)

[Shumway]

"She's not even a has-been. She's a never-was."

[floydnimrod]

"She's not even a has-been. She's a never-was."

As a huge Mighty Ducks movie fan, this one is tops for me.

And thanks for the song suggestion McCall. As the Florence Freedom's sound guy, I'm going to need some songs to play that night to keep the theme.

[Mings]

I'm starting to think Te'o had the right idea. Lying about having a girlfriend has to be easier than dating right?

And yes, I just got back from a horrible date.

[dfwabel]

Te'o having off-camera interview with Schapp tonight.

[Geoff]

With a lawyer present.

[infrared41]

I can't be the only one that didn't even know about this who "dead girlfriend" story before the hoax part all came out...

Can I?

Nope. I wasn't aware of it either. I even subscribe to Sports Illustrated, but I never bothered to read their cover story on T'eo.

[Island_Style]

Here is the interview from the pic above.

[dbadefense1990]

Man, I haven't been this confused about an ESPN-fueled tabloid story since the Brett Favre "retirement" saga.

[dfwabel]

Man, I haven't been this confused about an ESPN-fueled tabloid story since the Brett Favre "retirement" saga.

Wait for the entire transcript for the real confusion.

EDIT: Oh, wait, ESPN has already said,

We had no parameters on questions. While no tv cameras were permitted and use of audio was limited, we can use anything from the interview across our outlets.

I do not want this to ever end. Next stop, NFL Security doing their research and attempting to talk to him before the Draft since I do not think he will go to the combine and allowed to be grilled by teams.

[dfwabel]

In attempting to retell the interview, Jeremy Schaap left America even more confused.

Kudos (for now) to Team Te'o.

[thespleenenator]

I'm trying to think of a comment but I just can't. This is too bizarre. At this point, I'm hoping it turns out that he's gay, just so that it saves his reputation.

[kw11333]

I know I did stupid things when I was 21, (I still do stupid things). Maybe we should hear him out, before we judge.

[Seadragon76]

This whole thing just seems ripped from a soap opera or at least a crappy ass made-for-TV movie.

My only question is this: Is he the dupe-EE or the dupe-ER?

[Evil Doctor]

I know I did stupid things when I was 21, (I still do stupid things). Maybe we should hear him out, before we judge.

I figure he wasn't trying to be malicious when this all started, he was just being a typical creepy teen, and it all spiralled out of control. If he would just come clean, it would go a lot easier for him, covering it up and having friends try to take the fall is going to make things worse for him in the long run...

[McCall]

According to espn, a fried of that Ronnie T. guy, or whatever his name his, confessed to her that he perpetrated the whole thing and that apparently it wasn't his first time doing so, even using the same name and picture to fool, I believe, a family member. And I think two of his cousins ended up helping him. So at this time it appears that Te'o was a victim of a hoax. But with the bizarrity of this story, things can change like that.