# Manti Te'o's Fake, Dead Girlfriend **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 16, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424 "2013-01-16T22:06:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ennui](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ennui/32/3396_2.png) [@Ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ennui)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/21 "2013-01-17T00:06:24Z")
Te’o issues a statement: > [@](#): > > "This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online. We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her. > > "To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone’s sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating. > > "It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother’s death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life. > > "I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about her just makes me sick. I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been. > > "In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people online than I was. > > “Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I’m looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL Draft.” [[Link]](http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8851033/story-manti-teo-girlfriend-death-apparently-hoax) The fact he claimed to have met his girlfriend no less than twice will make it harder for him to play this off as a joke as his expense, at a minimum he embellished on lies someone told him. Given the likely perpetrator of the hoax (per the dead spin article ) was a close friend of Te’o’s it’s easy to wonder how much collusion was taking place. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/22 "2013-01-17T00:06:50Z")
Didn’t he tell folks that they met in person several times? He definitely told people that he talked to her on the phone for hours and hours. Who was the voice on the other end? He has to be in on it. I don’t see any other feasible explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/23 "2013-01-17T00:10:21Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Nah, he’d be in for a marketing bonanza at some point but it would have to happen after he was already a pro and a success. If he comes out now the odds of him getting drafted are much worse. Guys get big endorsements out of high school and college having achieved less than this guy has, and the odds say he’ll be a high first round pick. He’s eighth on Kiper’s draft board. He was a Heisman finalist and a candidate or the winner of every relevant defensive award. > [@](#): > > Do you think Belicheck would invite that media attention? Shit yes! He picked up known headaches Randy Moss and Corey Dillon to name two, and if he thought an openly gay player would fit into his system, he’d take him in a millisecond - especially if he thought he were getting a good deal on him. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/24 "2013-01-17T00:11:42Z")
I didn’t read the entire Deadspin article and I don’t fully see how Ronaiah fits in here, but I think the most believable version is that Te’o had an internet girlfriend. He probably exaggerated how much contact they had to make it not seem weird that he wasn’t getting any and/or had a nerdy cyberdate. I think a lot of people will probably downplay how invested you get in a internet thing by saying its not “real”. The idea of a beard that had to be killed off or a giant PR stunt he concocted both stretch credibility. No one can be that dumb in the face of the modern media. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/25 "2013-01-17T00:15:34Z")
The details he gave out go way beyond exaggeration. His father said she frequently flew to Hawaii, where they would spend time together. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/26 "2013-01-17T00:17:06Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Guys get big endorsements out of high school and college having achieved less than this guy has, … Define big? Te’o is almost assured a $15M+ deal in 6 months if he keeps his mouth shut and maintains the status quo. If he outs himself there’s at least a reasonable change that he slips out of the first round and ends up looking at $2M or less. I doubt those gay friendly endorsements would offset that. Plus those endorsements would still come if he outs himself as an NFL player. There’s no upside to rocking the boat now. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/27 "2013-01-17T00:17:49Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > I didn’t read the entire Deadspin article and I don’t fully see how Ronaiah fits in here, but I think the most believable version is that Te’o had an internet girlfriend. He probably exaggerated how much contact they had to make it not seem weird that he wasn’t getting any and/or had a nerdy cyberdate. I think a lot of people will probably downplay how invested you get in a internet thing by saying its not “real”. He’s the person who asked the real woman whose pics were used for Lennay photos (taken from her Facebook account) to pose with a sign to “legitimize” the Lennay Twitter account. He was high school friends with her and she thought it was odd but didn’t ask questions. He was also apparently at least friends with Manti, and was in a car accident around the time Lennay was. Reading more, some people are alleging that he had created the Lennay persona for fake relationships before this time - so was he duping Manti, who he actually knew (it seems), or just using it as a cover? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/28 "2013-01-17T00:27:45Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Define big? Robert Griffin III had seven endorsement deals in place before he played a single game. Maybe he’s better on camera than Te’o and he did win the Heisman while Te’o finished third, and he will probably be a higher draft pick. Still, he doesn’t represent an entirely new demographic and doesn’t have that human rights/spokesman factor. I can imagine that being worth a lot of money. > [@](#): > > Te’o is almost assured a $15M+ deal in 6 months if he keeps his mouth shut and maintains the status quo. If he outs himself there’s at least a reasonable change that he slips out of the first round and ends up looking at $2M or less. I don’t see how that creates a reasonable chance of that happening. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/29 "2013-01-17T00:47:34Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t see how that creates a reasonable chance of that happening. Getting drafted in the top 10 is already hard enough, why add a variable? You’re insane if you think a openly gay player wouldn’t be a factor in how a team sets up its draft chart if for o other reason than the risk of distraction. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/30 "2013-01-17T00:50:30Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Getting drafted in the top 10 is already hard enough, why add a variable? To be clear, I was proposing a scenario where he hadn’t lied about it (twice). Where he came out after declaring for the draft or being drafted, for example. If he were caught lying about not only the girl but pretending he’d been hoaxed, who knows. > [@](#): > > You’re insane if you think a openly gay player wouldn’t be a factor in how a team sets up its draft chart if for o other reason than the risk of distraction. Teams draft and sign thieves, druggies, and worse. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/31 "2013-01-17T01:16:48Z")
Just saw that on PTI - wondering if he’s nuts, or if it’s a [Catfish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish_(film)) situation… Edit : NM, nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/32 "2013-01-17T01:22:47Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > Just saw that on PTI - wondering if he’s nuts, or if it’s a [Catfish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish_(film)) situation… If so, it’s the most recursive one ever. > [@Deadspin](#): > > In yet another now-deleted tweet, Tei [the woman who pretended to be the dead girlfriend’s sister] herself reached out to Nev Schulman, star of the 2010 film Catfish and executive producer of the MTV program of the same title. Schulman’s movie and show are about romantic deception through fake online personas. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/33 "2013-01-17T01:25:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Teams draft and sign thieves, druggies, and worse. Yea, but you don’t get Boycotted and demonstrated against for Thieves, druggies and Murderers. Only for dog abusers and possibly gay players. Nobody really knows yet, and nobody really wants to be the team that finds out, they want to hide their head in the sand and cash the fat checks as long as they can and let someone else find out. ETA: “Possibly” modifies boycott, not gay, in case my wording was confusing. You won’t get boycotted for possibly gay players, but you will possibly get boycotted for having gay players. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/34 "2013-01-17T01:27:29Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I feel bad for the fake family of the fake girlfriend having to go through this all over again. I feel fake bad about it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/35 "2013-01-17T01:30:23Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Yea, but you don’t get Boycotted and demonstrated against for Thieves, druggies and Murderers. Only for dog abusers and possibly gay players. I’m not sure that’s true, and if it is, perhaps the football team could find some way to use the fact that the whole world is against it as a motivating factor. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s possible that some brilliant coach or captain might be able to use the idea of such a slight as a way to inspire the team by suggesting that nobody outside the team believes the team could possibly succeed. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/36 "2013-01-17T01:40:11Z")
I think even in today’s society, and especially in sports, many people would be more comfortable with thieves and druggies in the locker room than a gay man. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/37 "2013-01-17T01:40:49Z")
Who would do something so convoluted as to create a fake online persona and then kill it unexpectedly in order to garner sympathy? Man, what a putz. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/38 "2013-01-17T01:44:45Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I feel bad for the fake family of the fake girlfriend having to go through this all over again. Judging by their photo in my new wallet, they look reasonably happy. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/39 "2013-01-17T01:45:11Z")
Brent Musberger still thinks she’s hot. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/40 "2013-01-17T01:46:11Z")
Just read the full Deadspin article. I have two possible conclusions. 1. Te’o is a total rube and was getting manipulated and gamed by his friend Tuiasosopo and his cousin. 2. Te’o was in on this scam for some unknown reason. There’s a lot of stuff in that article about Te’o’s dad corroborating “meetings” between Te’o and the fake girl but it all could be chalked up to awful reporting and wishful storytelling ala Rick Reilly. I don’t see anything with Te’o actually saying he’d met her, just that they talked on the phone. Then again, Te’o could have lied to his dad about the whole thing just to keep his family off the smell. Still don’t know, the fact that Tei reached out to the Catfish guy makes me think Te’o had no idea. The whole point is that there’s an unsuspecting mark. If Te’o is in on it it makes no sense, unless they were trying to game the show producers too. Since Te’o had to know he was going to hit a big payday, he doesn’t have the motivation to try a get rich scheme like this one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424.md?page=3)