ESPN: Was Manti Te'o a schemer or prey?

[slapshot]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...llege-football

"But until the mushroom cloud of a Deadspin report enveloped his life Wednesday, Te'o was considered to be all that was right and good about college football. He was more than an All-American linebacker from Notre Dame; he was an ideal, a template for integrity, compassion and humility.

Te'o might still be all of those things. Or none of them. We still don't know for sure."


While his squeeky clean image may be tarnished (for now, at least), it really won't mean squat as far as him being a first rounder in the draft. At worst, it might only impact future endorsement deals.

[Navypost]

Shocking smh

[reg_indy]

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...rman-manti-teo



1. He was completely fooled all season (only realizing the depth of the deception a few days before reporting it to Notre Dame authorities on December 26).
2. He was initially fooled, yet continued to perpetuate the hoax even after he realized he'd been duped (either for the benefit of public relations or to hide his own humiliation).
3. He was totally complicit the whole time.

[slapshot]

A bit more from CNN -

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/17/sport/...html?hpt=hp_c1

"Notre Dame said Te'o, 21, was the victim of an "elaborate hoax." He said he'd been taken in by a "sick joke."

But many fans, sports experts and media critics took to the airwaves and the Internet, questioning that someone could pull the wool over Te'o's eyes for so long, and saying he had to be in on it.

"The level of hoax would have to be so elaborate that it really would strain credulity," said Howard Kurtz, host of CNN's "Reliable Sources" and Newsweek's Washington bureau chief.

{Motive?}

And while none of those commenters claimed to have any inside knowledge, the Heisman Trophy was front and center in many of those theories.

Te'o was among the top candidates for the trophy, which goes to the best college football player in the United States. He did not win.

"Manti Teo faked having a girlfriend for Heisman Votes!!!!!" tweeted Cliff Harris, one of many outraged fans to voice the sentiment.

Eddie George is a Heisman Trophy-winning former Ohio State running back and NFL star. He met Te'o at the Heisman ceremony and said he thought he was a good kid.

Asked to comment on the echo chamber online, George said, "I can't believe that it could be."

He added, "If it turns out that this was done for recognition and to get publicity for the Heisman, that would be despicable, deplorable."

The Heisman is a carefully choreographed mating dance.

Even before a season starts, universities erect billboards and create media strategies to announce to the world that they have an athlete worthy of the game's most prestigious trophy.

While touchdowns and tackles are still the determining factors, a good storyline helps.

And Te'o's heart-wrenching tale of determination in the face of two tragedies -- the death of his grandmother and his girlfriend within hours -- had all the elements.

It reached its apex on September 15 when he led the Fighting Irish to a 20-3 thrashing of Michigan State. He credited the deaths in propelling him in the game in which he had 12 tackles, the most he had all season.

"I will be honest, throughout the game you are still thinking about it, but football allows me to be in a little realm, a little world that I know," he said afterward. "I can honor them by the way I played. It was for them, for my girl and my grandma, and for all my loved ones who have passed on."

Sports fans lapped it up. He was a hero with a halo."



mmmmmmm.....I don't know? Is there plausible deniability here?

[Iverson]

Didn't he say on record that he met his girlfriend after a game at Stanford. If ND is covering up they are digging themselves a deeper hole. Great article below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...an-a-real-one/

[ms maggie]

IMO if he was a victim of a hoax he is incredibly stupid.

[Eastside Terp]

who knows ......

there was a fake chickie babe that became a regular on here a while back and then all of a sudden someone, supposedly a relative came on here and said she killed herself ......

lots of folks were pretty upset for a while .......

some time later it was exposed as a hoax ......

can't remember her name ......

[slapshot]

Didn't he say on record that he met his girlfriend after a game at Stanford. If ND is covering up they are digging themselves a deeper hole. Great article below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...an-a-real-one/

Thanks for the link. This passage is pretty damning of ND:

"But we know for sure that Notre Dame collaborated with at least one*story, on Charlie Rose’s CBS morning show, that told the phony boohoo*tale after the school knew no such woman had ever walked the earth. “Notre Dame collaborated with CBS,’’ Dickey said. “I guess they wanted*to keep it quiet, and I guess they thought no one would ever figure it*out.”

School officials also seem to have retroactively deleted references to*Manti’s dead girlfriend on the transcript of a press conference, he*said.
Even if they weren’t in on perpetrating the lie, the least they did*was keep quiet about the truth, even after they knew the facts. According to their own statement, Notre Dame knew this was a hoax three weeks ago, on Dec. 26."

[ms maggie]

Thanks for the link. This passage is pretty damning of ND:

"But we know for sure that Notre Dame collaborated with at least one*story, on Charlie Rose’s CBS morning show, that told the phony boohoo*tale after the school knew no such woman had ever walked the earth. “Notre Dame collaborated with CBS,’’ Dickey said. “I guess they wanted*to keep it quiet, and I guess they thought no one would ever figure it*out.”

School officials also seem to have retroactively deleted references to*Manti’s dead girlfriend on the transcript of a press conference, he*said.
Even if they weren’t in on perpetrating the lie, the least they did*was keep quiet about the truth, even after they knew the facts. According to their own statement, Notre Dame knew this was a hoax three weeks ago, on Dec. 26."

Well if they were convinced it was a hoax perpetrated on this kid, well ok I guess no biggie trying to keep him from being embarrassed. But I find it hard to believe he was just a victim.

[slapshot]

who knows ......

there was a fake chickie babe that became a regular on here a while back and then all of a sudden someone, supposedly a relative came on here and said she killed herself ......

lots of folks were pretty upset for a while .......

some time later it was exposed as a hoax ......

can't remember her name ......

Re: "a fake chickie babe"

LOL. Are we in high school?

Failed analogy.

[slapshot]

Well if they were convinced it was a hoax perpetrated on this kid, well ok I guess no biggie trying to keep him from being embarrassed. But I find it hard to believe he was just a victim.

An institution should never go back and delete transcript testimony. There are some issues that are bigger than the embarassment of a player.

But I tend to agree, I don't think he is guilt free on this hoax.

[demopublican]

http://deadspin.com/5976517/

Dead Spin does a great job here.
The guy behind the hoax is one of his friends.

[slapshot]

What seems to be emerging is:

- Manti was (initially) the victim of a hoax
- But after he becamse aware of the hoax, he continued on with the hoax for quite some time. There are lots of theories as to why, but only he knows the reason why he didn't come clean and divulve what he knew.

[carlito]

who knows ......

there was a fake chickie babe that became a regular on here a while back and then all of a sudden someone, supposedly a relative came on here and said she killed herself ......

lots of folks were pretty upset for a while .......

some time later it was exposed as a hoax ......

can't remember her name ......

I remember it too and yes, many were fooled. Does "Eponine" ring a bell?

[Eastside Terp]

Re: "a fake chickie babe"

LOL. Are we in high school?

Failed analogy.

because a fake internet persona that dies and has people grieving over their good friend has nothing to do with this topic .......

I guess it was just too original for you to grasp ........

maybe I should just stick to regurgitating tmz gossip like you ......

you might want to stop stalking me from forum to forum and get a life ......

owned again ........

[Eastside Terp]

I remember it too and yes, many were fooled. Does "Eponine" ring a bell?

yep, that's it .......

folks were falling over themselves claiming what a great person she was and who was closest to her .......

[slapshot]

because a fake internet persona that dies and has people grieving over their good friend has nothing to do with this topic .......

I guess it was just too original for you to grasp ........

Dear Clueless Toadie, don't tell me what the topic is about.

I started the topic.

maybe I should just stick to regurgitating tmz gossip like you ......

you might want to stop stalking me from forum to forum and get a life ......

owned again ........

Stalking you?

LMAO on the one.

So who's responding to my thread, to my posts? In fact, wasn't it you who said, and I quote, "I'm done with you". And yet here you are, again. Liar.

I would say that it is I who "owned" you, but that is such a high school thing to say.

[Eastside Terp]

Dear Clueless Toadie, don't tell me what the topic is about.

I started the topic.






Stalking you?

LMAO on the one.

So who's responding to my thread, to my posts? In fact, wasn't it you who said, and I quote, "I'm done with you". And yet here you are, again. Liar.

I would say that it is I who "owned" you, but that is such a high school thing to say.

get a life, you have become a stalking troll .......

I don't (and won't) avoid any threads or topics but I do try to avoid you and do not quote you or respond to your posts unless you quote me ......

seems like you can't avoid following me around the board and attacking my posts and me personally ......

I know you can do better ......

[slapshot]

get a life, you have become a stalking troll .......

I don't (and won't) avoid any threads or topics but I do try to avoid you and do not quote you or respond to your posts unless you quote me ......

seems like you can't avoid following me around the board and attacking my posts and me personally ......

I know you can do better ......

Now, who's the stalker?

Move on, toadie. This board is for people who have something to contribute about college sports, whether that be a news story, or something to do with a college player/team.

Oh, and HAIL (Ravens Forum) "owned you", big time. LOL. He made your knowledge of football look like a joke...but good thing you were surrounded by the rest of your toadie friends, or you would have been run off. That's your ownly defense, because you can's stand on your own. I was gonna chime in, but didn't want to be accused of "stalking". Rich.

You've got jack...well, except for your dated high school smack talk. Too funny.

[Eastside Terp]

Now, who's the stalker?

Move on, toadie. This board is for people who have something to contribute about college sports, whether that be a news story, or something to do with a college player/team.

Oh, and HAIL (Ravens Forum) "owned you", big time. LOL. He made your knowledge of football look like a joke...but good thing you were surrounded by the rest of your toadie friends, or you would have been run off. That's your ownly defense, because you can's stand on your own. I was gonna chime in, but didn't want to be accused of "stalking". Rich.

You've got jack...well, except for your dated high school smack talk. Too funny.

lol, give it up .....

yea, hail who argue with me RG3 was a pocket passer like aaron rodgers, didn't run an option and wouldn't get hurt owned me ......

but it is nice to know that you are reading all my posts and trying to keep track of my postions on issues ......

please give it up, you are really embarrassing yourself ......