To hell with Brian Kelly as well
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ESPN to Air Off Camera Audio Interview with Te'o on Sportscenter Following OKC vs. DAL.
To infinity and beyond!
Wait a minute...
If this is all off camera, how do we even know that it is real? Are we supposed to just trust that its not that Tuiasosopa guy screwing with us, too?
wut? im fukin wasted!
Christmas in January. Why can't Notre Dame embarrass themselves this much every week.
Bring back Charlie Weis and they will.
Yep, wait till Friday and in doing so wait till midnight. Plus with MLK Day Monday, it'll help in some ways to extend the weekend.
Copyright this, I'm calling this awesome male soap opera Dames of Our Lives...except ya'know, the lack of an actual dame.
Doesn't really play here. The default assumption (if he never says another word) is that he's done something wrong in this whole thing. So if he's coming on air to say that he did nothing wrong....you gain nothing by doing that late on Friday.
If no one notices the interview, then the default is to go back to assuming he did something wrong.
True, good point. And from what I'm reading/hearing thus far (haven't heard the interview yet) it was all pointless as hell anyway so again, what purpose was had by doing this at this juncture (Friday at midnight). ESPN is definitely getting their views/clicks/etc. by saying they were the first to interview him...which I suppose really was the purpose of this. Except that I have a feeling what he said probably makes more questions arise and answers nothing.
How will we know it is really him in the interview?
+1 to you
This agent is a PR nightmare. Is he going to hold him out of the public combine interviews? Approach head on or you're hiding something, which is probably pretty obvious at this point anyway.
This picture is all we have to go on.
http://www.boards2go.com/boards/board.cgi?action=read&id=1358565670.7868...
So Jeremy Schapp (sp?) did the interview. Who is the other guy? His lawyer?
yes
so I'm starting to feel bad for the guy. I'm sure he felt stupid enough before, now the whole world knows how stupid he was.
That's all well and good. But when you find out it was a hoax, why would you keep voluntarily talking about the relationship at the Heisman, etc.?
and was hoping that it would just blow over if he played it cool. I wouldn't be surprised if he admitted to lying about it because he hoped it would all go away instead of having to somehow admit to everyone that he had a fake online girlfriend
Frankly, I bet I'd do the same thing. Just hope it blows over and no one has to know.
Coward.
To refuse to go on camera makes him look all the more guilty (and at this point its really hard to do that). Taking a lawyer with him makes it even worse.
Why does he not do an on camera interview?
Is it just that he hates being on camera (seem to not be the case since he did the college game day interviews)?
Is it because this is a real personal issue and it would be difficult to go on camera and admit that you were fool for 4 years- basically admitting that you are either a huge idiot or extremely gullible. (This is the only logical guess I can come up with)
Anything you guys can think of?
Him being on leave is in no way unfortunate.
I bet he cries.
Does Scott use the 'other side of the pillow' now? That was Olberman's thing from way back in the day! Shameless, StuPot. Shameless.
So all the bottom line is saying (and all the tweets I've seen) is that he denies that he "created the hoax" and he couldn't be part of something like that. That at least is not an outright statement he didn't learn it at somep point and go along with it. Will be interesting to see what his entire interview says.
He must think we are all as stupid as he is if he thinks we believe he was completely duped.
MIld correction. He doesnt think we're that stupid.....he's HOPING we're that stupid.
Regardless of what he says, the fact that he waited this long just makes me think he just wanted more time to think of a story/scenario where he comes off as the victim.
I hope Schaap asks him why, if he found out it was a hoax on December 6, he continued talking about her like she was real.
"Why did you claim someone was your girlfriend and the 'love of your life' if you had never met that person in your entire life?"
Pretty much the first and last question you need for this interview.
He has to at least admit that he embellished the love right? There is no way he can tow the line that this really was his true love. Can he?
You're close Purple. My first and last question would be:
"If you learned that your girlfriend was fake on December 6th as your Athletic Director claims, why did you reference her and her "death" on camera two weeks later when you knew by that time she didnt actually exist?"
His answer will be something like this.
"I know it wasn't the right decision but in my mind I didn't want to create a distraction for all my teammates."
Oh he's so unselfish and tried to do the right thing.- Stupid people mentioned up above will think.
The takeaway will be that "man that Te'o is such a great teammate. He knew he was going to take flack for this but he didn't want anyone else to suffer."
"Why did you allow a story to be printed about how you met some girl after a game against Stanford when that never happened and no such girl ever walked the Earth?"
I guess there are a few questions to be asked...
I don't think we're gonna learn anything from this interview other than that Te'o is a liar.
Espn sure does look like they're trying to spin the he was duped angle if you look at their front page. Protect the brand!
A sports figure who's helped them make money could espouse framing your best friend to look like a member of al qaeda, and they'd find a way to sell it.
sportscenter during the day was very te'o positive. other shows, not so much.
someone hire me
Profootballtalk, which has basically a partnership with NBC, said "it would have been better if Te'o said nothing. In reality that's what he has done." Even they aren't buying Te'o.ESPN can spin all they want. To many holes in his story and most of the public has already formed their opinion which won't change barring ground breaking evidence, which if it hasn't come by now almost definitely isn't.
The fact Te'o has a lawyer there indicates he thinks he could possibly be in more trouble than he already is.
I find it hilarious how ND just shot themself in the foot with this story.
They need to hurry up with this game. I dont want to leave in the middle of his explanation.
I've seen the transcripts Ken - you can go to bed now. It went like this:
ESPN: "Now Manti...you didnt have anything to do with this crazy story did you?
Teo:" Heck noI didnt"
ESPN: "Honest and true Manti? Pinky swear you weren't involved in way?"
Teo: "Honest and true guys. I was a VICTIM....."
Then there were 2 hours 29 minutes of hugs (because the interview was 2.5 hours long)
I honestly could have left and been at my friends house by now. This game.
I'm assuming Te'o cried a lot, but does it mention whether Jeremy Schaap broke down in tears at all?
I'm not a Pistons fan, but I thought it was a poor decision when they got rid of him. Think he was and is a very good to great coach.
Franchise went downhill, too. Only won an NBA title and made another Finals.
Don't watch this shit. The headlines say it all. Not worth your time, no real questions will be asked. Disney at its best.
Overtime. Bahahahaha
Durant is so not clutch
So T'eo refuses to do a video interview AND has his lawyer present during this audio interiew. You're really helping sway the opinion of the public towards your side with this one, Manti.
AND conveniently gets the interview released at 12:30 on a Friday night, when no one is watching. The more this story progresses, the less sympathy I feel for Teo.
and ESPN, the company that originally interviewed him and sold the story.
ESPN released quotes from the interview already: Teo: "when they find out the facts".
Yeah, this interview sounds like it's gonna be worthless.
I honestly have not watched the NBA once this year. Figures that the one time I catch the end of a game it goes into overtime when I'm waiting for the program after.
However, I think he decribes everyones thoughts about this interview pretty well
I don't like Whitlock either, but that about sums it up. I was actually a bit of a Teo sympathizer when this all began, but this move reeks of insincerity .
According to ESPN people on Twitter, Te'o said he was not involved int he hoax but it effected his play in the National Championship game. I actually can beleive that, but come on, he was getting run over by linemen all game long. Please don't try to blame the loss in the Championship game on the hoax.
If he wasn't such an idiot then he wouldn't be in the position to be run over in the championship game.
And it did have an effect. And he has a weird affect.
wtf! this is bs. ESPN is in on it. its all a scam. they paid the players to go to OT so that less and less people will be inclined to watch this supposed interview.
/foilhatrantover
Te'o keeps being characterized by the media as a "devout Mormon". I'm not an expert on the religion, but I do have a pretty good LDS friend and from what I can gather they know who their people are and the church is pretty involved in the dating/future marriage aspect of its members lives. Us non-LDS folks were not allowed to attend the actual religious marriage ceremony in the church when my buddy got married because non-LDS people aren't supposed to go inside the Tabernacle or whatever they call it. And supposedly they can tell if you're not supposed to be there.
Maybe some Mormon MGoBloggers can clarify, but it seems really odd that this kind of thing would happen without anyone noticing that the girl he was so serious about wasn't an LDS member, much less an actual living human being.
He is lying. That's why none of the questions have real answers. Seriously though, I haven't heard this question brought up yet. Perhaps she was Mormon as well? Wait, of course she was! Why wouldn't she be? The fictitious girl of his dreams is most definitely a Mormon. Problem solved.
A good follow up question to your inquiry would be "what does the LDS's policy in regards to online dating?" I can't imagine that they would be terribly in favor of it due to the potential for situations such as this to arise. Also, we are still waiting on phone records and the receipt for the white roses he sent to her funeral. What about his dad saying that she would visit him in Hawaii? Either he is in on it too or Manti lied to his dad too.
I would be very surprised if any of his awards were revoked.
False. This is the easiest one to peg of all. Clearly a role for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Think about it...
I'm rooting for double overtime.
this. however my name now brings new meaning
ND and ESPN were in on this from the start too
Most NBA I've watched all year.
Same here. Who knew that the Mavs went out and picked up all the guys still in the league who were good 10 years ago? Brand, Vinsanity, and the Matrix all on the floor at the same time along with Dirk. Do they still have Stackhouse or did he finally retire?
Think he wanted to hear the interview too with that shot selection.
Clown question #1: did you "create" lennay kakua
College basketball is so much better than the NBA
It's taken 45 minutes to play roughly 7 minutes of basketball. I love the nba.
Finally this crap is off my television, but only to be replaced by more crap. Oh jeez, I think I should just go to bed.
HAHAAHAHA
Now Facebook?
JUST GO TO SLEEP THIS SHIT IS WORTHLESS
I wish it was that easy but I can never turn off a good comedy.
watched the first minute despite telling myself i wouldn't. HE ADMITTED TO LYING TO HIS DAD. oh snaps, this is gonna be a hardcore asking of questions.
He talks to this "girl" on Facebook for over a two years and falls in love. This guy has to be monumentally stupid.
More like Jeremy telling his impressions of the interview. Seriously, I don't believe this interview ever happened.
For 5 months he was on the phone with her. WTF.
All those cell phone rays are what gave her cancer, too!
if it lasts longer than 4 hours.
Does any one else get the impression Schapp is on here lying his ass off? He looks like he's searching for the answers rather than recalling from memory.
ESPN has been giving Te'o favorable updates and treatment all day on sportscenter. A deal was made for this exclusive recanting of an interview. Just turn it off.
ESPN trying to cover for ND. What a joke.
this is possibly the biggest pile of horseshit I've ever heard
What a fucking joke. ESPN is a joke of a network and they clearly have interest in keeping T'eo clean in all of this.
Why bit age
All these things do is give us more to think about. I don't think we'll ever know the full truth.
Wait. He still believed that she was real until two days ago!?!?!?!??!?!
Dude, she was in hiding from drug dealers. Her cousin told him, man. It all makes sense.
What a joke.
The need for a lawyer? Actually, when the lawyer stops the question, I guess they don't want us to see the question that they asked.
That was more nothing then I have ever experienced...does Teo have an insane struggle or was Schapp playing on his phone for those 2.5 hours, because he brought me nothing
stutter not struggle, blah
Te'o does have an insane struggle on his hands ;)
What a joke. No phone records were produced?
I really just want to see him answer questions with a lie detector. Clearly he is a good actor and ESPN is falling for his shit.
So Schapp wants us to believe that Teo recieved a call from his dead girlfriend and STILL didn't know he was being duped? That he actually believed she may have been alive, and had to fake her own death to avoid drug dealers?
If that were true, Te'o would be the stupidest person on the face of the planet.
Doesn't Manti know that the guy is supposed to be the one who lies about being a secret agent being called away on dangerous assignments that prevent him from attending chick flicks or holiday events with some gal's relatives?
Am I the only guy who regularly reads this blog who doesn't care? At All? Like even a little? I don't understand this obsession with Te'o. What he did was creepy at best and sleezy and creepy at worst. I know it looks like he wanted public sympathy to motivate his team-- and, especially we may assume, his heisman candidacy-- but I am not sure it made much of a difference. He didn't actually kill anyone, he didn't sell drugs to kids-- I guess I am not as fascinated with creeps as others here seem to think. Whatever he did he will pay for ten times more in humilation.
About this story, I PROBABLY would not have read past the title. AND would not have responded so late in this post. But I guess that's just me.
POSTED!!!
Am I the only guy who regularly reads this blog who doesn't care? At All? Like even a little? I don't understand this obsession with Te'o. What he did was creepy at best and sleezy and creepy at worst. I know it looks like he wanted public sympathy to motivate his team-- and, especially we may assume, his heisman candidacy-- but I am not sure it made much of a difference. He didn't actually kill anyone, he didn't sell drugs to kids-- I guess I am not as fascinated with creeps as others here seem to be. Whatever he did he will pay for ten times more in humilation, and that's ok by me.
very much agree with this post.....I will admit the only reason I even read the story is because of it guilty pleasure/soap-opera appeal. Te'o committed no crimes, just made himself look like a complete jackass, which many celebrities and athletes in the past have done. Nobody should care, and there is no "justice" that needs to be served. People should just forgive and forget. But alas, this story is damn entertaining, and I hate myself for feeling that way about it.
It's kind of sad. He's the face of one of most well known programs in college football and he could only get an internet girlfriend who wasn't even real?
If only he had really loved his fake dead internet girlfriend Michigan would have four straight wins over the Irish right now.
He was so distraught over his fake dead girlfriend that he got a new live one not long after her death according to TMZ.
http://www.tmz.com/2013/01/18/manti-teo-girlfriend-rebound-notre-dame-st...
I haven't talked to her for years though, so I can't really text her and ask her about it.... Anyways, cool story, right?
What kind of tv network agrees to do an interview off air? Espn....zero credibility as a news outlet. Waste of time, why did I stay up for this? Hah
told ya so, and i only lasted 1 minute (thats what she said).
Not only did they do the interview off air, but the Te'o camp made ESPN agree to no cameras and limited audio which is why Schaap is having to relay all the info. If they had any journalistic integrity they would have declined to do the interview under those rules.
Bobby Knight was right when he said that Jeremy Schaap has a long way to go to be as good as his father.
Just wait until the NFL teams get a hold of him for interviews. They're not as easy to push around as espn. Should be interesting.
Good point. Jim Rome interviewed a former NFL GM (name escapes me at the moment) yesterday and he said that they can live with criminals but "lie to my face and it's over." Someone will take a flyer on him at some point in the draft, but probably not until the 3rd or 4th round unless he can convince the GM's of his naivete.
That's dumb thinking. Te'o is still gonna be a 1st, early 2nd round pick. When that GM was talking about lying, I'm sure he was talking about drugs or something, not something as trivial as making up a fake girlfriend.
Because no matter what side you believe, it boils down to 2 things. Either Te'o is a huge attention whore, or he's really naive. Neither is going to hurt his draft stock too seriously
If I were to fake my own death to avoid drug dealers, I probably would have chosen a long lasting battle with leukemia too....perfectly believable.
I've been looking for a bridge. Do you have any swamp land to go with it?
The only thing worthwile knowing in this story is that Te'o is a liar. There's nothing more to it. Who cares if he was set up, this story has gotten out of hand.
This is so infuriating -- did they not even ask him why he kept talking about his girlfriend after December 6th? That is a critical issue. Schaap just seems like a cheerleading for the guy.
thats how they got the exclusive 1 on 1 off vidoe interview.
He was SO CONVINCING according to Schaap. Ya think? Shocking that a guy who lied about his dead girlfriend in multiple interviews after he found out she wasn't real could be convincing.
Why wouldn't ESPN go easy on him? The more "convincing" the story is, the easier for them to justify running up the hype of the original story instead of admitting to irresponsible journalism.
According to Schaap, Teo JUST found out about this hoax a couple days ago. Most people's thought: "the fuck?" Schaap's thought: "Oh, that's for sure a fact, I wonder if his lawyer will allow me to get an autograph"
From espn.com
"He tried to speak with Kekua via Skype and FaceTime on several occasions, but the person at the other end of the line was in what he called a "black box" and wasn't seen."
Yea, that happens sometimes. For years.
Most guys get the hint
So what about the players on the team who came out and said they knew it was a hoax and manti was just playing along because it was a good story???? I THINK SOMEONE NEEDS TO QUESTION THEM AGAIN!!!
Those players actually just died to avoid drug dealers
For those of you that aren't watching, I'll sum it up: Just trust Schaap, Teo sounded believable. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain
At worst Teo lied and perpetuated a hoax and at best he's simple and clearly delusional.
If he was really the victim of a hoax that lasted over two years he has to be monumentally stupid.
That's what I meant by simple.. But yes possibly delusional.
If this catfish dude is looking for another mark, he should hit up Jeremy Schaap.
Deadspin loves to rip on espn so tomorrow should be some good reading as they break down this great journalism by espn
So someone had time to be on the phone with Teo for hours at a time over the span of a couple of years?
Considering how much time being a college football player consumes and the fact that he goes to a school that supposedly does not shepherd its athletes into easy classes, where did Te'o find the time for these extended phone calls?
If it was during the offseason or summer, how about just hopping on a plane and meeting this girl, especially if she was the love of his life?
Schaap's response to that: "that's a good question"
Who keeps old texts from a "dead girlfriend"? I mean, Schapp is referencing texts that Te'o showed him... WHY would you keep those? Especially if he had a "new girlfriend" since the supposed death. Wouldn't the new girlfriend feel weird about those being saved?
Has anyone seen the video of that great American chess player (bobby Fischer?) going nuts on jeremy Schapp during a press conference? The chess player was a loon, but that's all I can think of watching this..
Much obliged.
Above: Schapp goes to Iceland to belittle a mentally ill old man.
Tonight: Schapp goes to Florida to befriend a simple caveman
Thank you. How I've never seen this I can't comprehend. Good stuff.
"Like a typical Jewish snake..."
I feel like Schaap genuinely believed everything Teo said but after the 10th time he said "and I know this all sounds crazy..." he kinda figured out how contagious Teo's stupidity is
Has to be the case. I've never had anything against Schaap (liked his dad, alot) but this is some garbage. I know ESPN is happy they got the first interview, if one wants to call it that, and they got Jeremy to do this; but it sucks a**. He's better than this. He has to be playing by their rules and hating his life.
jeremy schapp is impossible to understand
bunch of non-sense
what kind of tv reporter does not film his interview?
It is to journalism what pig vomit is to fine dining.
Pig Vomit!
His manner was ... off. Either he was fighting off stomach flu and was trying to hold it together before he defecated something explosive, or DomeFan texted him to tell him that his daughter was tied up in the trunk of his car.
This is the weirdest goddamn story ever. (The only way it makes even a miniscule amount of sense, of course, is that Te'o was in on it. But that's pretty weird too, I'd reckon.)
to end with "and thus concluded the Jeremy Schapp interview."
I believe the chain has evolved as follows:
1. "Te'o makes an online acquaintance with a woman named Kekau as a sophomore in 2010"
2. "Te'o and Kekau develop an online relationship"
3. "But in April of 2012, Te'o learns from other sources that Kekau is in a coma after a car accident
4. "In spite of the coma, Te'o and Kekau talk for hours at a time on the phone"
5. "Which leads Te'o to fall madly in love with his online acquaintance"
6. "Tragically, in September, Kekau dies of Leukemia"
7. "On the same day as Te'o's Grandmother"
8. "Te'o is torn whether or not to play in the MSU game or attend Kekau's funeral in person"
9. "Te'o chooses to attend the funeral online"
10. "And honors Kekau's dying wish by playing MSU"
11. "And makes two interceptions in Kekau's honor"
12. "And throws in online white roses"
13. "But in December, Te'o receives a call from Kekau"
14. "Kekau explains that she had to fake her death to escape the evil drug dealers"
NOW WE CAN"T JUST LET IT END THERE, so I'll continue
15. And so the drug dealers turn their attention to Te'o...
Lance Armstrong, that little girl from the NFL commercial that asks Ray Lewis what his favorite color is, my online girlfriend. These are just three people I would have rather seen interview Teo
Whoa. I was curious what the reaction on this board would be. You guys are sick
Huh!? And welcome...I think
care to explain? one man (owned by a disney channel that was only spewing positivity all day on their flagship program) interviewed another and says "Yeah, he is a victim". We are supposed to accept his words?
I'm fairly sure that Domer fans are the 1%'ers that believe everything that Manti is spewing, don't expect us to simply think that he's the dumbest person alive to believe he was led on by someone he's never met. He can understand bunch coverages, QB reads, but not that he's being scammed by some 20 year old cali kid? Come on now....
By reading the comments on here, I think it's clear that Notre Dame fans aren't the only
ones who are hearing what they want to believe.
There is some sh*t we won't eat.
Um, what???
and we've just been Sidd Finched
We're expected to believe he communicated with this girl on facebook and twitter and is somehow oblivious to the phenomenon that is video chat? Skype, facetime, facebook video... and yet he used none of them?
What happened to the report from Notre Dame that the school expected him to go public with this story on Monday prior to their press conference?
EDIT: Also, how does he have a meeting on Tuesday with Swarbrick and convince him this was a hoax if he wasn't sure of any of this until he received said phone call a day later.
ESPN makes this Tuiasosopo kid sound like quite the manipulator. I'm surprised he doesn't want to tell his side, clear his name or fess up to the public. Frankly, the media needs to stop reporting on this bizarre story. At this point it's too hard to determine who's telling the truth, lying, or possibly being paid to say certain things. Plus, this is all probably too much public humiliation for Manti, Ronaiah, and "Lennay" to handle over some foolishness. I hope someone is keeping an eye on Tuiasosopo, and everyone involved in this strange mess (including Manti) seeks mental help.
I am so confused at this point. The longer this goes on, the worse everyone involved continues to look. How can he continue to change his story and the media is just OK with it? How can anyone believe Teo at this point?
Hoax regardless, you're Manti Teo - you have ND coeds flinging themselves at you every night on campus, many of which may actually have class and would welcome your gentlemanly courtship, but you turn to a chat buddy you've never mat as your official squeeze?
The spider sense tingling says there's a question about this kid's sexual orientation. He's probably gay, and in college football, where the boys bang each other up about who they're dating and what they're doing, Teo probably felt the pressure to come up with some long distance girl in his life to stave off questions from his teammates as to why he was never chasing girls with the rest of them.
There is nothing wrong with being gay. I have many gay friends actually. But the fact remains that, while strides are being made with each passing generation in terms of greater tolerance, in this day and age being openly gay in college or pro football remains taboo and a major no-no toward your place as a cohesive member of the team.
End of day, Teo's sexual orientation and the pressure he was under is his business, but the fact that he went along with this chat buddy girlfriend story to his team, friends, coaches and the media, invited all of us in unfortunately, to behold a sad, confused young man.
I will bet Teo comes out of the closet within 20 years. Again, nothing wrong with being gay, but in the macho world of college football, this kid was in a tough bind and clowned himself in an effort to stay in the closet. There is no other rational explanation unless he's just really, autisticly bad with girls.
So sketch. Not only did he do this off camera and with his lawyer there, but Schapp said he looked very comfortable... Look at the photographs. They say otherwise... He's hunched over playing with water bottles in one pic (a very defensive and uncomfortable, fidgety posture) and covering his mouth with his hand in another pic (often a pretty obvious tell that someone is lying).
So yeah, the interview was off-camera, but we're totally supposed to take Schapp's word for it that Te'o looked comfortable and relaxed, when what little visual information (the photographs) that we do have say the exact opposite.
Unbelievable.
Furthermore, what he said tonight contradicts things that were said in the ND press conference on Wed.
Wed: Swarbrick says Te'o came to him saying he got hoaxed on Dec. 26.
Today: Te'o says he wasn't convinced he was hoaxed until 2 days ago.
Further, in the interview today Te'o admitted to lying to his dad about meeting Kekua.
So at this point, we do know for sure that Te'o is a flat out liar. Even in the muddy waters of this story, that much is clear at this point. Whether he was in on the hoax: who knows and I don't think so. (Although where is the receipt for the whtie roses and the phone records? He could easily show these to corroborate his side of the story and hasn't.) But at this point what we can say for sure is the guy is a liar and has no credibility.
It was nice of Te'o to come out and completely contradict some of what ND said after they backed him.
I think the most pathetic thing about this whole thing is how many people care about this. Someone may or may not have lied about something that doesn't affect the vast majority of people in any way? TO THE INTERNET!!!!
Are belong to you.
Someone on Twitter last night summed it up, this is the biggest story that doesn't really mean anything.
Teo (and to a lesser degree ND) is going to extreme lengths to cover up nonsense.
They should have released a statement on Dec 26 or so that a hoax had been perpetrated.
As the old saying goes "it's not the crime but the cover-up that buries you."
It is extremely uncharacteristic of me to care even a little bit about celebrity drama, which is why I am so totally perplexed by the fact that I just can't look away from this train wreck. Can't help it, no idea why. Maybe it's because it's a sports thing, maybe because I do not like Notre Dame ... maybe because the whole thing is so superlatively BIZARRE that it hurts my brain for there not to be a logical resolution. Which, unfortunately, I'm beginning to think there never will be. In short, I have no idea why I'm paying attention. But I am.
I am amused and intrigued by this tale. You can't make this stuff up...uhh...you know what I mean.
And, by the way, what are you doing here in this thread, oh disinterested one?
I'm sure glad Millen isn't our GM! He'd snag this guy in a heartbeat.
The Yahoo! Sports write-up is here (LINK)
I rather agree with them when they say:
"It’s unfortunate that Te’o declined to do the interview on camera and that we’re hearing Te’o’s side of the story secondhand. It makes it feel disingenuous and will only fuel conspiracy theories as to how much Te’o really knew and when."
Others here have touched on this, but an off-camera interview in the small hours, airing after an NBA game just does not seem like the sort of thing you would do if you were truly interested in quelling the interest in this story or indeed reassembling his now extremely shattered image.
Supposedly, ESPN will provide the audio later on their site for those who didn't catch it after the game - I haven't been able to find it, or I would post it, although a summary of the interview is up and posted here.
T. J. Yeldon and Eddie Lacy say they've never met Te'o and doubt he exists.
PLEASE; MAKE IT STOP!
Until a couple of days ago, I thought "Catfish" was just a fish that everyone in Louisiana loves to eat or a nickname they’d given to a now-deceased Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher. Now, I’m trapped in an intimate online relationship with a beautiful Nigerian princess who claims to be the real Lennay Kekua and who has promised to send me her fortune for safekeeping if I send her photocopies of my all credit cards and blank checks from every one of my bank accounts and the passwords to my investment accounts. And I keep hearing this song play wherever I go.
ND (B Kelly) and Teo had to be in on this from the beginning. Why else hold a rushed Presser right after you found out about the Deadspjn article? Now, ND will distance themselves as much as they can.
I hate that there are people in this world stupid enough to buy this bullshit.
They are called ND fans... and Buckeyes.
I highly doubt the NFL gives two shits about this.
When asked why he never visited his dying girlfriend he replied "it never crossed my mind." Say what? That doesn't sound like the type of guy that would fall asleep with his girlfriend over the phone every night.
Deny, delay and obfuscate - same tactics used by tainted politicians.
Everything occurring in the last 72 hours is directly COUNTER to the best practices in PR to maintain a reputation. Cover-ups are never forgotten.
He clearly perpetrated or continued the hoax for publicity reasons
As others have pointed out, this is just ESPN trying to save face.
Te'o is opting to look like a moron instead of a pathological liar. Possibly getting some cash from Mickey Mouse.
ESPN has every incentive to make Te'o play the fool because otherwise it means they were the ones who were duped. Like Lenin said, man, you look for the person who benefits and uh..... um.....
And make no mistake: no matter how stupid and unreasonable this all sounds, there are plenty who will buy it. ESPN gets their official line and plausible deniability. Te'o gets to extend his publicity stunt.
Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket.
Unfortunately, you are spot on. Remember it took a tiny newspaper in Pennsylvania to blow up the Sandusky thing.
If someone is going to get the smoking gun in the Teo situation it won't be anyone in the MSM. Come on Deadspin!
I am the Walrus....I am the Walrus...I am the Walrus. SHUT THE FUCK UP DONNY!!!
A lot of people, supposedly in the know, are claiming this whole hoax story will not affect his draft status. All I can say, any GM who doesn't see Teo's stock falling is an idiot. Talk about a distraction. This "interview" is only fueling further speculation.
Otoh, the MSM is already complicit in this story, and this whole Teo interview ploy that ESPN was happy to participate in (and likely paid him a pretty penny for) means there is the possibility the sports reporters will just let the story die, and just pretend there's no elephant in the room everytime they interview him.
Watching this slowly unravel is such a guilty pleasure for me. I have tremendous faith in two things occuring simulantiously which is why I enjoy the farce as much as I do:
1. The MSM, who have a vested interest in keeping Teo's story at least reasonably plausable to protect their own reputations, will continue to try and protect him
2. The Bloggosphere will have none of it and are working night and day to confirm the truth of what really happened (what did he know and when did he know it so to speak). You know....the way reporters used to do things back in the day.
I'm hitting refresh for updates here - not on any of the conventional "news" sources cause I know it's only through the alternative sites will real investigative reporting get done.
It will be fun to not only watch the bloggers for the next few weeks, but also the jokes over the next year or so.
Will anyone leave Lennay a ticket at "will call" for our game vs ND in September?
Did we really expect the company that employed a fake person to really dig deeper?
I realize you guys are rivals and prone to being haters. But seriously, is it that hard to feel that a stupid kid got duped? The dupers prayed on the phone with his parents fergodsakes. So here is the Deadspin idiot:
And the DMs the guy sent to Teo apologizing:
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/0119/ncf_t_teolennaytweet_400.jpg
That's not the main guy at Deadspin - they had so many interview requests they had to send him. Painful to watch.
Do you remember what you thought of the Paterno apologists last year? How they were so blinded and delusional, etc. Well, that is now you.
To be fair, the Paterno sympathizers had a massive FBI report to ignore.
You are right, he is quite stupid. He did get duped. He also lied about the relationship to embellish it in the media, which is not as bad as being in on it but not much better. Any ND fanboy (i.e. you) expecting this story to die a quick death is in for a rude awakening.
Oh man, well I guess he COULDN'T have also had the fake apology DM's sent to him either. Case closed. He is not lying.
Those were screenshots right off Manti's phone from ESPN... But I guess ESPN is on it as well?
Double entendres everywhere
Phork....the issue is not being a "hater" or not. The issue is there are gaping holes in his everchanging story that a reasonable person has a difficult time reconciling to their own experences. There are so many in fact it defies logic that anyone would still cling to the hope he wasnt involved unless they have a vested and personal interest in the outcome as you do.
Study after study have proven that people, when faced with facts that contridict a long-held and cherished believe simply ignore the fact rather than reprocess and change their believe. It's why a parent or loved one can honestly defend a child in the face of overwhelming and compelling evidence of guilt in many criminal cases. Their brain simply wont accept the unpleasant facts that would cause them to change how they feel about someone.
You are squarely in that camp right now. As someone before me eluoquently said "Remember the Penn State slappies that defiended JoePa in spite of everything they were told? Well you are now them."
And you are. And candidly I dont really blame you. If we found out that Denard really DID tie his shoelaces we'd probably have the same reaction you are having to finding out Teo is not the person you thought he was.
List the holes that you feel are gaping, please.
the media in this saga.
Go ahead and believe Teo is an idiot, easily duped and unable to keep his story straight. Then the media really must dig into the story and PROVE the facts.
Media believed the hoax for 3 months and failed to conduct basic legwork. Now they're doing it again.
Do you think Teo (and his people) picked midnight on Friday in Florida for an off-camera interview as the best way to prove his innocence or the best way to bury the story?
Who cares because ESPN shouldn't have agreed to this PR move. It's called complicit journalism.
Given all the deception, and given the Teo family's over-investment in MT's glory -- blacklisting, really? --who's to say they didn't essentially force the guy to take the entire fall via text? MT's story just defies credulity. And his stage-managed and lawyered "interview" only proves the point.
http://espn.go.com/blog/notre-dame-football/post/_/id/13553/miller-inter...
Well he said "No, never." That seems to be enough to convince this schmuck. Ha
Te'o was asked what he thought should happen to Tuiasosopo.
"I hope he learns," Te'o said. "I hope he understands what he's done. I don't wish an ill thing to somebody. I just hope he learns. I think embarrassment is big enough."
How can a superhero be all forgiving but not all knowing?
What does this do to his mojo? The outing of Tiger didn't exactly help Woods' golf game.
So she is allegedly coming to Hawaii to meet him and she doesn't show up. Who the hell swings by Hawaii for lunch?? Who doesn't show up in Hawaii? It's not like she's in Chicago and he's in South Bend...
And what's the deal with the little cousin who doesn't speak? What a dipstick.
Furthermore, why would you continue your "relationship" with this person after they no show on you numerous times? Guess it never "crossed his mind" to break up with his "girlfriend" after that.
After breezing through the information available from the "interview" last night, I now wonder about criminal charges.
The supposed request for a checking account number occurred via the web across state lines, isn't that a felony of wire fraud?
If I donated money to the Leukemia Fund or American Cancer Fund after hearing about Lennay's death, can I sue Teo or Tuiasasopo for fraud?
The more BS and details seem to create legal angles to this hoax.
Is anyone else as sick of the word "duped" as I am?
Either one would be a vast improvement. It considerably irritates me when the media cling to one word to describe something and it becomes the buzz word of the masses. Unfortunately, Te'oing has been taken so I suppose Mantied is sufficient...although it sounds like some perverse version of hogtied...which I guess fits this whole f'd up story.
I have doubts that my girlfriend is real... O well, I guess I will just keep talking to her!
C'Mon Man! You did not once ask to Skype or see her in person, what is wrong with you?
Why would he kill off his GF on the day his Grandma died? Or is she fake to?