# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/161 "2013-01-18T01:24:26Z")
nvm ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/162 "2013-01-18T01:55:29Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > It’s the _Breakfast Club_ as directed by Tim Burton: > > "She lives in Canada, met her at Niagara Falls. You wouldn’t know her. > > And is, you know, dead." Nitpick: John Hughes, not Tim Burton. I can’t believe I know that. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/163 "2013-01-18T02:02:53Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Nitpick: John Hughes, not Tim Burton. > > I can’t believe I know that. John T knows that too. He was re-imagining it with a dark twist. Because you know…she’s dead. ---
**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 18, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/164 "2013-01-18T02:54:18Z")
[Gawker collected a number of theories](http://gawker.com/5976828/how-did-football-star-manti-teo-get-catfished-by-a-fake-dead-girl-six-theories-to-explain-the-years-craziest-story), including “discovered it was a hoax but shut up about it so he wouldn’t hurt his Heisman chances.” ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/165 "2013-01-18T02:59:22Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > They were covering this in Chicago last night like the President got shot or something. I find it amusing and a little baffling that it’s getting so much attention. I was at the gym and one TV had the news on, and it had “BREAKING NEWS!” up on the screen, with the story about the Boeing 787s being grounded (I wasn’t really sure what the story was, the tv was on mute). I looked over at the TV that was tuned to ESPN and it also had “BREAKING NEWS!” and I was all “Wow, what the hell happened that’s breaking on the regular news and ESPN?” Yeah…it was this story. :rolleyes: > [@Wheelz](#): > > Here’s my take: Naive college kid meets a girl online and exaggerates the relationship to friends and family. He doesn’t realize the “girl” is just somebody screwing with him, and the hoaxer makes a game of seeing how far they can take it. Hoaxer eventually tires of the game and kills off the fake persona. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/166 "2013-01-18T03:13:43Z")
Is everyone here lambasting Manti ignoring my post in #80? He isn’t the only guy to be lead on by this woman. And calling her a victim or naive about her part in this is laughable. She was in on it too, my guess is she and Manti’s “friend” were trying to hook a rich football player and split the money she would milk from the relationship. ---
**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 18, 2013, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/167 "2013-01-18T03:17:51Z")
I love this quote from the latest AP story about this mess: [ > [@Gregg Doyel](#): > > Nothing about this story has been comprehensible, or logical, and that extends to what happens next. I cannot comprehend Manti Te’o saying anything that could make me believe he was a victim. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBC\_NOTRE\_DAME\_TEO?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-01-17-20-37-38](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBC_NOTRE_DAME_TEO?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-01-17-20-37-38)) It makes me laugh to think of how many sports stars are watching this unfold and thinking “damn, I can get busted for doing coke off a whore’s ass in a stolen vehicle while driving 180mph, and as long as I’m not also shooting a bunch of kids and puppies and kittens with an assault rifle, I’ll still look like a better person than Te’o. THE SKY’S THE LIMIT, BABY!!!” ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/168 "2013-01-18T03:44:47Z")
It’s just manufactured outrage on the part of the media. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/169 "2013-01-18T03:56:14Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > [Te’oing](http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1996_10100312635453246_1282454659_n.jpg) My wife came in to see what was making me laugh so hard. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/170 "2013-01-18T04:44:39Z")
Man…with each passing week, I grow ever more grateful that I never got into online social networking. Dealing with my college courseload was hard enough, thank you very much. I dunno. Mostly I just don’t find this story the least bit entertaining. It’s bewildering as hell and there isn’t a single aspect I haven’t heard a million times. Dumb jock? Heart over head? Long-distance relationship? Couple of pranksters who let their game run on too long? Spurious online relationship? Been there, done that, got the box set. I’ve heard several places call it a “hoax”, but that implies that someone was harmed (a real someone), which obviously wasn’t the case. Will Te’o himself suffer for it? He might if he decides to make a big deal out of it (or comes out, which is so totally out there I can’t even consider it), but judging from the cancelled interview, it looks like he’s wisely decide to just shut his damn mouth until this blows over. And rest assured that it will. Hell, anyone with any sense can see that the only reason ESPN is flogging it is that they were upset over being late to the party and want to salvage whatever sloppy seconds they can. The dopes on [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com) can see this, for crying out loud. In the end, this just isn’t the kind of story that has legs. For that you need something juicy, something really illicit that raises eyebrows. Sex, collusion, illegal activity, ulterior motives, hush money, shady third parties, that sort of thing. “Guy claimed 15-pound bass he caught was 20 pounds” is not a riveting story, no matter how big or complicated the cover-up was. That there we’re already seeing crap false equivalencies, particularly Lance Armstrong, just confirms that this lame puppy can’t stand on its own. I doubt it will hurt his NFL career. If Ray Lewis and Michael Vick could make in this league, there’s no reason that this grossly trumped-up I-don’t-even-know-what-the-hell-to-call-it-anymore will derail a competent linebacker. It’s like the that player who said he didn’t give a damn about the Wonderlic. Yeah, there was a lot of noise. And that’s all there was. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/171 "2013-01-18T04:57:17Z")
Manti Te’o’s team are prepping him. He’s definitely gunna talk. He’s not a pro like the Notre Dame AD though and likely needs time. His NFL career won’t be harmed, but advertisements most certainly could. He needs to knock his response out of the park. He will. Oh, and Manti’s uncle [speaks](http://1280thezone.com/index.php/audio/listen/alema_teo). Appears to suggest a money scam angle through a foundation. Isn’t super close to the family, but knows the perpetrator. Appears to confirm previously posted TMZ article. (Te’o below is the uncle, not Manti). [Recap](http://www.csnchicago.com/ncaa/notre-dame/irish-talk/Radio-interview-sheds-light-on-Teos-rela?blockID=824541&feedID=661) of above audio interview. > [@](#): > > Te’o detailed how Tuiasosopo said he was hoping to raise money for a friend of Kekua’s, who also had leukemia and attended Stanford, so that person could put herself through college. That hope was characterized as a “dying wish” of Kekua’s, according to Te’o. > > Te’o said Tuiasosopo continually talked up a charity event for his foundation, and believed at the time Tuiasosopo was attempting to align himself with Te’o to gain notoriety for his foundation. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/172 "2013-01-18T14:51:24Z")
People on this very message board have been similarly duped. What’s the big deal? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/173 "2013-01-18T14:53:01Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > People on this very message board have been similarly duped. > > What’s the big deal? Who are you responding to? Did anyone say it was a big deal? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/174 "2013-01-18T15:01:47Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Who are you responding to? Did anyone say it was a big deal? I got the impression from reading about 50 posts in this thread that there was a huge deal being made out of this, and that possibly Manti Te’o was lying or something to cover up the fact that he was gay, and all kinds of other weird shit. When really, he was the victim of an internet Munchhausen hoax. Am I mistaken? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/175 "2013-01-18T15:08:25Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I got the impression from reading about 50 posts in this thread that there was a huge deal being made out of this, and that possibly Manti Te’o was lying or something to cover up the fact that he was gay, and all kinds of other weird shit. When really, he was the victim of an internet Munchhausen hoax. > > Am I mistaken? Certainly people are speculating what might’ve happened. I don’t think speculating about something is the same as “making a big deal out of it”. People speculate about lots of trivial stuff. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/176 "2013-01-18T15:21:24Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I got the impression from reading about 50 posts in this thread that there was a huge deal being made out of this, and that possibly Manti Te’o was lying or something to cover up the fact that he was gay, and all kinds of other weird shit. When really, he was the victim of an internet Munchhausen hoax. > > Am I mistaken? The problem is that, though he was most likely the victim of an elaborate hoax, he muddied the waters himself by exaggerating and embellishing (and possibly lying about) the depth of the relationship for the cameras. _Repeatedly_. To the point where no one is sure where the scammer’s lies end and his begin. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/177 "2013-01-18T15:36:08Z")
Manti’s great uncle gave a[radio interview](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/18/teos-uncle-takes-aim-at-ronaiah-tuiasosopo/)yesterday. He claims to have met Tuiasosopo and that the end game was a financial scam. He apparently had contact with Tuiasosopo. > [@](#): > > Alema Te’o specifically suspects that Tuiasosopo’s motivation was financial, apparently via raising funds for cancer-stricken folks who, you know, don’t exist. At least that makes more sense than catfishing just for kicks. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/178 "2013-01-18T15:39:44Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Who are you responding to? Did anyone say it was a big deal? If no one else has said it, I will say it. I think this is a fascinating story, and a Big Deal. Yes, of course, men have been falling for fictitious women since the beginning of time. (Before the Internet they would get letters from “secret admirers”.) Three elements set this story apart–the _extremely_ elaborate nature of the hoax, with multiple impersonators playing multiple parts over multiple media; the prominence of the “victim”; and the degree to which the “victim” exploited and embellished the story to the point where he looks like, and may in fact have been, a co-conspirator. Yes, of course, once Te’o starts playing in the NFL this won’t be an issue. When Michael Vick takes the field people are thinking about the game, not about dog-fighting. So it will be with Te’o. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a big story now. The fact that phony social media personae are so common is what makes this story interesting–it’s a strange and elaborate variation on a familiar theme. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/179 "2013-01-18T15:50:19Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > If no one else has said it, I will say it. I think this is a fascinating story I agree. > [@](#): > > and a Big Deal. Not sure how anything you wrote supports this though. As you yourself said, its not going to even end up making that much of a difference _even to the people involved_. Manti will probably suffer being the butt of late night comedy jokes for a few weeks, and then go on to the NFL same as he would’ve in any case. Tuiasosopo will disappear into the wood-work as quickly as he can. Lennay will presumably continue not-existing. As I said before, the irrelevance of it is part of why its fun. Its nice having a news-story every once-and-a-while that’s inconcequential. No one dies (and one person un-dies!), the number of people it affects is small, and even amongst that small group of people, most of them will probably land on their feet. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424/180 "2013-01-18T16:12:01Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > … Three elements set this story apart–the _extremely_ elaborate nature of the hoax, with multiple impersonators playing multiple parts over multiple media; the prominence of the “victim”; **and the degree to which the “victim” exploited and embellished the story to the point where he looks like, and may in fact have been, a co-conspirator**. > > … This is where I have a problem and it’s continually being bled into the hoax as you have done. (1) There was a hoax. An online fake girl, and real people pretending to be her and her family. (2) There was Manti publicly talking about his relationship with a girl _after_ she recently passed from cancer at a young age. Those two are being mushed together. They are completely separate. (1) Manti is almost certainly not apart of the hoax. It’s really disingenuous to report at this point without at least showing the mountain of evidence to the contrary. You only have one anonymous kid saying he’s “80% sure” Manti was in on it. That’s the only evidence. And that odd percent is based on that kid thinking Manti couldn’t be so gullible - not because he actually knew - it was just his opinion. That “evidence” would cause a thread to get kicked out of GQ and would be laughed off in GD. With that, whoever is apart of (1) has sinister motives and they are scumbags. (2) Embellishing a relationship. We don’t know why he did; we might not even know if he did. **There are many non-sinister reasons why someone might embellish this relationship**. It could be for self-promotion. Or…He was still in close contact with the family after her death - that’s important to remember. We don’t know what they were telling him (she told us she was the love of your life, ect ect ect). There is the perps from (1) and Manti Te’o. Without more, who’s side should we be on at this point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manti-teos-fake-dead-girlfriend/647424.md?page=10)