Can someone explain the situation to those who dont follow football?
- Te'o is/was a defensive player for a very popular but perpetually overrated team, Notre Dame.
- He just finished his last season as a college football player at Notre Dame.
- He is friends with a guy (Tuiasosopo) who made up an internet persona for a pretend girl named Lennay Kekua.
- Tuiasosopo contacts a female friend of his and cryptically asks for a photo of her with a message for a "hospitalized friend," which she gives him. Tuiasosopo uses this photo as Lennay's profile pic.
- Manti Te'o and his family fabricate story after story about Te'o having a relationship with Lennay Kekua, a Stanford student, including Manti having a twitter relationship with her.
- When it gets to the point where Lennay not appearing in a location (football game, etc.) would cause suspicion, "Lennay" gets in a car accident. After recovering, she gets leukemia and dies within 1-4 days of Manti's grandmother dying. (The day range is because multiple sources state multiple timelines).
- Te'o's story of loss is told and retold in every sports media outlet, repeated by commentators during games, etc, enhancing publicity and public sympathy for Te'o.
- When asked why he didn't go to her funeral, Manti Te'o says "she insisted I never miss a game."
- Deadspin investigates and find there is no evidence for Lennay ever existing -- never want to Stanford, never had a family, never had a funeral, etc.
- Notre Dame issues statement saying they believe Te'o was the victim of a hoax.
- Te'o and his family state that Te'o was the victim of a hoax.
- Mountains of evidence show that Te'o continously lied about having met this girl, been with her, seen her, etc. on several occasions, meaning he was in on the hoax the entire time.