I'm Lost ... First Lance Armstrong And Now Manti Te'o?

[GEORGIA ON MY MIND]

I just got into the station around 5:40 and everyone's eyes were glued to the screen watching the latest spin on the heralded linebacker for Notre Dame.

I am stunned ... Is all this for real?

No girlfriend who passed away?

What on earth could he have gained by promoting this kind of fraud?

Thanks and thumbs up to all who answer ... just give me time to get back and read the answers..

[Souhail]

Nothing wrong with Manti, he got tricked, Lance on the other hand, tricked us.

[Abby]

This is the link. It's too much effort to try to explain it all http://m.deadspin.com/5976517/manti-teos...-is-a-hoax
Armstrong now this. It's been an interesting week

[Golobulus70]

I don't think he knew. He just fell for a prank. He is just one of many to fall for that kind of prank.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Hard to believe a 21 year old man could be so gullible. I fact, I don't believe it. It's really a shame that our top athletes are turning into self-serving scumbags.

[o snap]

If you're confused or wondering what happened... yes, this story is "for real" (his girlfriend wasnt though) and this is what we know up to this point:

Manti Teo's girlfriend was someone who he only met online and talked with over the phone... or so he thought.

From Notre Dame's side of the story, Teo was the victim of a cruel online prank called "catfishing" where someone (or in this case, multiple people) tricks someone (in this case, Teo) through social media into becoming involved with them, or even having a 'relationship' with them. It usually starts with talking, then more talking, etc etc, the whole process is meant to lure someone into being emotionally attached to someone who, in fact, does not even exist.

In Manti Teo's world, he was "dating" this girl who he only "met" online and "talked" with on the phone. This went on for supposedely a few years. Then in September, a few months ago, he recieved news that his "girlfriend" had "died" from cancer. A few months later, in December, he recieved a phone call from the same number his supposed girlfriend had been calling him on. When he answered, the girl on the other line was the same voice who he had been talking to, it was the girl pretending to be his girlfriend all those years. This made Te'o very confused (imagine if you lost someone close, then a few months later you get a phone call from that person, revealing to you they are in fact alive... thats how he felt).

The "prank" pulled on him was well thought out, as evil as it was. Every detail you could think of was covered, they even had a place to send flowers for this "girlfriend" of his after she "died." Some think there is evidence that Te'o knew the whole time that the entire thing was a hoax, and went along with it for publicity reasons. While others, including a few Notre Dame officials and Te'o himself, say that he had no idea, and that he was the victim of a very sick joke played on him, and that he had no part in it at all.

No one knows the full story yet, but what I've told you just now is pretty much all we know up to this point. We still dont know who all exactly was involved in this sick prank, or what their motives were for doing it. Only time will tell.

EDIT: why all the thumbs down?? I'm just explaining what happened...

[JB5093]

Lance, Teo, what's next? Are they going to reveal to us that we really lost the war and we have been ruled by Hitler all these years

[Steve]

theres no way manti didnt know. i mean he goes to notre dame and is passing so obviously he has some smarts. if he really didnt know i cant imagine what his wonderlic score is going to look like. the guys frikin nuts, i wanted the steelers to draft him but honestly i dont want that on the roster.