Open Friday Manti Te'o Thread: What would convince you that Te'o was duped? [New info]

doesn't it?  It's the scenario that makes the most senes at this point.  She was one of probably several flirtations Te'o had, some in-person, some cyber.  Given Tuiasosopo's apparent religious background he (playing Lenaay) and Manti probably had a ton of "God is great" talks, and bonded over that.  He probably considered her a confidant and good friend and someone he'd love to eventually explore something more with if they could get their schedules to work and, you know, she doesn't DIE.  Then, low and behold, she dies.  Now, this upsets him, maybe he plays it up, word gets out, he likes the attention, he "tweaks" a few facts here and there to make it more compelling and less embarrasing (it was only an online relationship after all), then ND makes a run at the national championship and his harmless story has taken on a life of its own.  He's convinced it'll die down until it turns out the whole thing was a hoax and some reporters from deadspin are poking around.  OH CRAP.  Someone got more than they bargained for.

No wonder he was garbage in the National Championship game..he probably knew his house of cards was about to come tumblin down..

Thy name is Dilithium.  

I'm not sure anything can convince me he was duped.  There are so many holes in the story that even if he produced

1) phone records that showed him speaking to a person at the number almost every night, some nights for hours on end;

2) receipt for the white roses he sent to her "funeral", and

3) transcripts of the text messages from her phone number on the day she died as well as the day she was "resurrected"

I'm not sure that I'd believe him.  There are so many other holes including all the times he and his family supposedly met her plus still mentioning her death during the Heisman ceremony two days after learning of the alleged hoax that it wouldn't make me think he wasn't still at least somewhat in on it.

I'm absolutely stunned that he isn't speaking today...Friday afternoon is usually when you dump bad news.  If this lingers over the weekend, and passes the NFL Championship games this Sunday, lookout...

Here is what I am leaning towards believing:

Teo was not an accomplice to the lie, however he certainly lied about the relationship.  A lot.

He lied about meeting her because online girlfriends are embarassing. 

He lied about the extent of their relationship, again because online relationships are embarassing and probably for attention.

He lied about A LOT of things involving the relationship, all likely revolving around the goal of trying to keep the this nerdy, embarassing online relationship on the DL.  You have to admit, it would feel like a huge blow, one could even call it "crippling" or "devastating" for the news to come out that his relationship was entirely online.  His young age and the fact that he was an athlete likely make him feel even more terrified of this news breaking.  One can kind of compare it to the way some athletes hide or have hidden their homosexuality: at all costs.

For Teo, even after he found out that she was fake, it was easier for him to continue with the story that was out there than to face the criticism and mockery that would come from being outed on his online relationship, especially after lying/sensationlizing it in the past.  So he lied...  He lied about the extent of their relationship while he still believed she was real, and then he continued to lie after he found out she was fake because it was the easier thing to do.  Like many lies, one leads to another and eventually you are in way over your head and then shit hits the fan.  (protip: try not to lie!)

This doesn't explain the Arizona player who claims to know a Lennay Kekua...  Maybe there really is someone by that name.  Maybe the guy is confused.  Maybe this story is way deeper than anyone knows yet..  I am sure more information will come out, but this is my current outlook on the situation.

What do I think of Teo for his part in this assuming the above is true?  I do not think he is a bad person per say, but I think he got caught up in hiding insecurities that led him to do some very foolish things.  He clearly is not the most outgoing, "people-person" in the world.  I don't think that should come as a surprise to anyone that has seen him speak before.  Being able to talk to a reporter or in front of a crowd is VERY different from being able to communicate to individuals or form relationships.  Teo is clearly very challenged in doing the later.

/endrant

Te'o's uncle speaking out about how horrible Tuiasosopo is and an anonymous friend of a friend of Tuisosopo saying he tearfully confessed to her that he duped Te'o for so long is pointless hearsay at this point.  Shut your mouths.   

The only people that should be talking right now are Tuisosopo and especially Te'o.  But we have nothing.  The longer Te'o stays silent, the more guilty he looks.  And you just know Notre Dame is standing by waiting to put on their "surprised" face when the truth does come out and they can act like they were fooled along with everyone else.   

It adds to the narrative and has to be considered in light of everything else we know.  You don't just discount the uncle and the friend because it doesn't fit into the story you're already convinced of.  

We don't know the truth, but things are coming out from all sorts of places.  Te'o and Tuiasosopo are the main people everyone wants to hear from, but the key players are usually last to talk, they have the most at stake and their heads are probably spinning.  

I have my theories, but I'm also willing to accept that the truth could run the gammut, from he's totally neive and was completely in love with this fictitious person and was completely duped, to he was in on it from the beginning and it was all a publicity scam.  I have enough life experience to know, however, that the truth most likely is between those extremes.  Regardless, the story coming from Tuiasosopo's acquaintance shouldn't be summarily dismissed... not at this stage.  Now, the guy in Az. who said he'd actually met Lennay, yeah... I think we can file that away in the "you're clueless" bin.  

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/17/notre_dames_double_standard/

To Hell with Notre Dame

Now that they have got his story ironed out.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/notre-dames-teo-spoke-of-his-gir…

If he was not in on it, then he was the worst boyfriend in the history of ever.

I can't think of anything, off the top of my head, that would allow me to accept the explanation that Teo was duped.  The evidence the contrary is a mountain.  Before the lie was exposed, nobody said that she was some "internet only" girlfriend that nobody (including Teo) had ever met.  This was concocted after the fact in an effort to save face.

If I were Teo, I would pretend that this was actually a great big humorous trolling effort the he cooked up on purpose to see how much he could get the media to fall for it -- sort of like a great big Andy Kaufman gig.  Lots of people would think he was an asshole, but some people would find humorous value in this. 

Don't know if this was posted already but apparently he has a real girlfriend too.

http://www.tmz.com/2013/01/18/manti-teo-girlfriend-rebound-notre-dame-s…

The term "beard" come to mind.

The more I read about this the more one thing jumps out at me: How in the hell did no reporter catch on to this??

In the SI transcript the guy even makes the comment that he can get a hold of Stanford and check on her major (and Manti seriously didn't remember what his girlfriends college major was right after she graduated?) How come no reporter ever wanted to talk to this girl? Or after she died, to interview her family? Why didn't ND want to fly the family in for a game to see Manti? How could this possibly go on for this long without anyone noticing?

At this point there are only two scenarios I refuse to believe:

1. Manti was in on it from the beginning and did the whole thing for attention. The guy would have to be a world-class sociopath/asshole/liar and the likelihood is just above nonexistant. Plus, I have trouble believing he could have pulled it off for as long as he did and hidden it so well. People always slip at some point.

2. That coin has two sides. There is no conceiveable way that Teo was that naive/stupid and his buddy was that clever that this could have gone on completely without Teo's knowledge for three years. No way. Any ND fan that even suggests that forfeits all rights to claim that ND holds their athletes to a higher standard and the NCAA needs to have a look at the classes ND football players are taking. 

As others have said, Teo contradicts himself and generally comes across as a shitty boyfriend in these interviews. At the very best, Teo is guilty of blowing this out of proportion for either attention or Heisman votes. At worst...well, I don't know if I can even put a ceiling on it right now, except that it is below scenario 1.