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[Snakehead]

T'eo could have the intelligence and personality of a slug and I'm sure real, attractive, girls would be throwing themselves at him...It must of just been an embarrassing prank. I don't see what he'd gain by faking it.

just a prank?  i dunno dude.  Youre saying someone stayed up every single night talking to him on the phone pretending to be his sick girlfriend in the hospital??  who is that dedicated to a lie to keep it going for that long?

I agree that there are sick enough people in this world to follow through on that, but given the information provided the odds are in the favor of him being in on it.

Big giant red flag if youre an NFL team.  Linebackers with no book smarts, ok.  Linebackers with no street smarts and horrible instincts, not ok.  and thats only if he wasnt in on it.

It's really too strange and ridiculous to be true.

This is the most bizarre story I've heard in... well maybe ever.  I can't think of anything like it.

[Fan from VT]

Is it at all possible he's hiding his lack of a girlfriend to cover up for his sexual orientation?  I mean, footballers (and athletes in general) are traditionally very buttoned up about this thing.  Plus, he and his family are Mormon...

Just a thought.

Very interesting thought, especially since it's another guy that was in charge of the fake identity, and that this other guy and Manti apparently knew each other fairly well.  They may have cooked it up together as a cover, then gotten carried away in the soap-style twitterverse.

[Snakehead]

Is it at all possible he's hiding his lack of a girlfriend to cover up for his sexual orientation?  I mean, footballers (and athletes in general) are traditionally very buttoned up about this thing.  Plus, he and his family are Mormon...

Just a thought.

Very interesting thought, especially since it's another guy that was in charge of the fake identity, and that this other guy and Manti apparently knew each other fairly well.  They may have cooked it up together as a cover, then gotten carried away in the soap-style twitterverse.

But then why go the cancer death route?

That brings so much more attention onto it.

[jackson_34]

Is it at all possible he's hiding his lack of a girlfriend to cover up for his sexual orientation?  I mean, footballers (and athletes in general) are traditionally very buttoned up about this thing.  Plus, he and his family are Mormon...

Just a thought.

Very interesting thought, especially since it's another guy that was in charge of the fake identity, and that this other guy and Manti apparently knew each other fairly well.  They may have cooked it up together as a cover, then gotten carried away in the soap-style twitterverse.

That's what I thought when initially reading it. Mormon family, catholic uni, perhaps a front to adhere to a football image/mentality. It's a possibility I guess.

[Kane3387]

Is it at all possible he's hiding his lack of a girlfriend to cover up for his sexual orientation?  I mean, footballers (and athletes in general) are traditionally very buttoned up about this thing.  Plus, he and his family are Mormon...

Just a thought.

That's basically what my initial post was referring too.

[Fan from VT]

Is it at all possible he's hiding his lack of a girlfriend to cover up for his sexual orientation?  I mean, footballers (and athletes in general) are traditionally very buttoned up about this thing.  Plus, he and his family are Mormon...

Just a thought.

Very interesting thought, especially since it's another guy that was in charge of the fake identity, and that this other guy and Manti apparently knew each other fairly well.  They may have cooked it up together as a cover, then gotten carried away in the soap-style twitterverse.

But then why go the cancer death route?

That brings so much more attention onto it.

Once he was getting really famous, maybe they were worried about being able to keep the hoax going? Too much attention, so they "killed" her off. Or, they are 20-22 and thought it would be funny to fool people like that.

[eja117]

every once in a million years something makes me speechless and this is pretty much it.  Instead of a euphoric drug this is dystopic reality.  I feel like one of those robots on Star Trek whose head blew up when the guy said "Everything I say is a lie. I'm lying."

[greg683x]

Is it at all possible he's hiding his lack of a girlfriend to cover up for his sexual orientation?  I mean, footballers (and athletes in general) are traditionally very buttoned up about this thing.  Plus, he and his family are Mormon...

Just a thought.

Very interesting thought, especially since it's another guy that was in charge of the fake identity, and that this other guy and Manti apparently knew each other fairly well.  They may have cooked it up together as a cover, then gotten carried away in the soap-style twitterverse.

But then why go the cancer death route?

That brings so much more attention onto it.

Once he was getting really famous, maybe they were worried about being able to keep the hoax going? Too much attention, so they "killed" her off. Or, they are 20-22 and thought it would be funny to fool people like that.

yeah but her death draws more attention than just saying, oh we broke up.  Unless youre fishing for attention, which i think is the motive.

I just cant believe that there are people out there that are too stupid to realize that people will figure this lie out.

The media digs through peoples trash, you dont think they'll check for details on your dead girlfriend?

[Snakehead]

Is it at all possible he's hiding his lack of a girlfriend to cover up for his sexual orientation?  I mean, footballers (and athletes in general) are traditionally very buttoned up about this thing.  Plus, he and his family are Mormon...

Just a thought.

Very interesting thought, especially since it's another guy that was in charge of the fake identity, and that this other guy and Manti apparently knew each other fairly well.  They may have cooked it up together as a cover, then gotten carried away in the soap-style twitterverse.

But then why go the cancer death route?

That brings so much more attention onto it.

Once he was getting really famous, maybe they were worried about being able to keep the hoax going? Too much attention, so they "killed" her off. Or, they are 20-22 and thought it would be funny to fool people like that.

yeah but her death draws more attention than just saying, oh we broke up.  Unless youre fishing for attention, which i think is the motive.

I just cant believe that there are people out there that are too stupid to realize that people will figure this lie out.

The media digs through peoples trash, you dont think they'll check for details on your dead girlfriend?

You took the words right out of my mouth here.

[Celtics18]

I just saw a video on ESPN of the interview where Te'o talks about his "girlfriend."  Maybe I'm naive myself, but based on that, I believe the kid, believe he got taken advantage of, and feel bad for him. 

[Moranis]

He might have actually been catfished, but he is going to have to answer a bunch of questions for anyone to believe it.  Just some he needs to answer: Who have you been talking to since she allegedly died?  Where did you send the flowers you sent, how did you purchase them, and do you have the receipt? Why did you say you met her and looked into her soulful eyes if you never did? When you learned of the deception in December, why didn't you get ahead of the story and release a statement at that time? How long have you known Ronaiah Tuiasosopo and when and where did you meet?

etc.

[Moranis]

some "maybe it is too soon" humor

[PhoSita]

Reading the Deadspin article, I don't believe for an instant this kid could possibly be stupid enough to have actually believed this.

Seems much more likely to me that he's just an incredibly huge narcissist.

[StartOrien]

Don't buy this online-only story for a second.

What are the chances that the middle linebacker, a heisman candidate, for one of the most successful college football teams in the country needs to resort to an online relationship for romance?

And on top of it, you've got multiple stories citing that they physically met, the father saying that she'd go to Hawaii on vacation. Someone's pumping them this info. He's in love with enough to have these 8 hour conversations, but so ashamed of the fact that it's online only that he goes to great length to provide the South Bend Tribune fictionalized stories about how they met? Doesn't add up one bit.

So to me, there's 2 options. 1 increasingly more likely than the other.

1. Someone came up w/ the idea, and thought the attention that it'd bring him would significantly improve his draft stock. And they absolutely 100% would've been right if it wasn't for the people at DeadSpin.

2. He's gay. Lot less likely, but to me it's the only other reason you'd make up this imaginary girlfriend story. Extremely religious background, extremely religious school.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

SO the girl never existed eh?

Wow that's going to be a draft stock plummet. I don't think teams would touch this kid simply because he's lying. (allegedly)