Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Doesn't the fact that someone stole an image from some random girl on Facebook mean this has to be a hoax of SOME sort? Whether it originated from the football player or not. And who would do that and plaster it all over the media? Wouldn't they expect someone to come forward and say something? And how can the football player claim to be the victim of a hoax? Is he saying he was deeply involved with this girl so much so that he never met her in real life or saw more than that picture of her? Did he talk to someone on the phone even?!
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder I THINK this is what happened. He got fooled, thought if he admitted it that he'd look even dumber, went along with it, then for some reason came clean. I think. I was hoping the Bears could draft him. Not anymore, though.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Wouldn't the reason he admitted it be because the girl who he claimed was his dead girlfriend came forward and said that's me, and I have never met this guy.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Beats me. I thought her picture was some random pick up from Facebook. I dunno. That could be what unraveled it. Did she have a connection to any of the other people in this? I'm having a hard time caring though.
Originally Posted By ecdc She did. The guy who is thought to have perpetrated the hoax (again, with Te'o as victim or accomplice, remains unknown) knew her. The strangest part of the story is that one picture that showed up was not from her Facebook page. He had requested she send him a picture for a friend who'd been in a car accident, for some vague reason. She thought it was strange but sent it, and next thing she knows, it's the picture that shows up on the fake girlfriend's Twitter account.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 If he was the victim of a multi-year hoax, what I can't figure out is what the motivation was of the hoaxers. Buddies playing a prank? Not for that long. Professional scammer sending a picture of someone else, professing to "fall in love," and then all of a sudden she needs money? Nothing I've read says Te'o ever sent this woman money. So if he was being hoaxed and wasn't involved in it himself, WHY was he being hoaxed? That's what I can't figure out.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>That could be what unraveled it. << According to an article I read but didn't bother saving the link to, it unraveled when the "girlfriend" called the schmuck post-funeral and wanted to get back together with him. He, not unreasonably, declined, because bleahh.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ax7pcm7" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/ax7pcm7</a>
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder My reaction to the entire thing is more like this: <a href="http://wtfpalace.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Puke_catch_eat.gif" target="_blank">http://wtfpalace.com/wp-conten..._eat.gif</a>
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 Here's a transcript from Sports Illustrated with an interview Teo did. <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130117/manti-teo-girlfriend-hoax-quotes/?sct=hp_t12_a2&eref=sihp" target="_blank">http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c...ref=sihp</a>
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Not to be insulting or anything, but judging by the images of him in the link above, he doesn't appear bright enough to have come up with such a crazy scam on his own. Based on this I'm going with the he was hoaxed story today.
Originally Posted By mawnck Oh good, I'm not insane. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/report-manti-teos-girfriend-tried-new-hoax-on-teo-in-december-2013-1" target="_blank">http://www.businessinsider.com...r-2013-1</a> >>when Manti Te'o received a phone call from a number he thought belonged to Lennay Kekua in December, she tried to convince Teo that she had faked her death to avoid drug dealers. This is according to a "source close to the Te'o family." According to the source, the person on the phone "tried to re-engage a relationship with Te'o."<< <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/report-manti-teos-girfriend-tried-new-hoax-on-teo-in-december-2013-1" target="_blank">http://www.businessinsider.com...r-2013-1</a>
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I still don't understand the motivation behind the caller, even if this call happened. It doesn't appear to have been money, and no group of buddies would carry a prank on that far for literally years.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Mawnck's post confirms it: Manti is a moron. Time to move on now.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Mawnck's post confirms it: Manti is a moron.<< Well, not entirely. That's when he realized that it was a hoax. Of course it didn't stop him talking about her as his GF in later interviews ...
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Sorry, but it's now evident that he fell for something that any reasonable person would have seen was a phony online identity, and unfortunately he was gullible enough to lie to the public about the depth of his internet relationship. He claimed to have known the girl for FOUR YEARS. All the facts aren't in yet, but I'm ready to pass judgment and say that this guy is pretty dim to have gotten himself tangled up in something like this. Watch: <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8857057/friend-says-ronaiah-tuiasosopo-confessed-manti-teo-girlfriend-hoax" target="_blank">http://espn.go.com/college-foo...end-hoax</a>
Originally Posted By utahjosh <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8859077/manti-teo-notre-dame-fighting-irish-denies-being-part-hoax-late-girlfriend" target="_blank">http://espn.go.com/college-foo...rlfriend</a> <<<Manti Te'o denied being part of a hoax involving a relationship with a person online whom he considered his girlfriend, during an interview with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap on Friday night, but did say he "tailored" his stories so people would think he "met her before she passed away.">>>> Sounds plausible. Very bizarre.
