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Deadspin: (Notre Dame football player) Manti Te’o’s Dead Girlfriend is a hoax

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LowKeyedUp said:
Well-known human has really bad month in September 2012. Grandmother and GF die same day. Well-known human uses tragedy to get better at the thing he does, people around him seemingly use this as inspiration to get better too.

Well-known human gets big recognition, comes in 2nd place for a really cool award, partly because of his character shown in the face of adversity.

Guy then says the GF never died, never even existed. He was simply the victim of an elaborate online dating hoax. People that fell for the sob story are upset and want answers. Was he really duped? Was he complicit in order to garner publicity? We shall see!


edit: Also he could be gay.
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Perfect, thanks!
 
Branduil said:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf-...re-dame-jack-swarbrick-sincere-045713273.html

You've got to be kidding me. Turns out the sports media really is that dumb.
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The article has a decent summation of why it's believable, and how Te'o still has a lot of explaining to do:

Swarbrick says a private investigator hired by Notre Dame to look into the matter has evidence that Te'o was victimized by individuals who invented an online girl and engaged her in a relationship with the player. Due to privacy concerns, the school is not in a position to release that evidence, but hopefully Te'o will provide some documentation that corroborates what Swarbrick said.

Te'o must also explain why he said he met Lennay Kekua, when that apparently never happened. He must explain why his father, Brian, also said the two met. He must explain why, if he felt for this dying girl the way he reportedly did, he never left the Notre Dame campus to be with her near the end – not at the hospital, not at the grave. He must explain why he went along with the storyline instead of publicly correcting the record, even after telling his coaches and Swarbrick about the hoax on Dec. 26.

Perhaps he liked the sound of it, and the way he was portrayed because of it – the heroic athlete overcoming heartbreaking adversity, enduring a romance doomed by death. Perhaps he was never as into the girl as he said – not the first young person to enhance the depth of a relationship, for dramatic effect or otherwise. Perhaps he simply embellished aspects of the relationship because, frankly, it would be embarrassing for a star athlete to tell the truth: I corresponded with this girl online and, no, I've never actually met her.
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All of the "it's 100% he is behind it" people are ignoring a lot of things.

Like how all of the Twitter evidence of the people claiming they were aware of the hoax are laughing at how Te'o got tricked.

Explain why, if Te'o was behind it all, there would be people on Twitter laughing at him who appeared to know of the hoax?
 
Manti Teo now regrets the day he spurned the University of Sexual Ballers in favor of Notre Invisible Dames. Big Balls Pete and Lance Kiffin would have been breaking him some real bread.
 
Branduil said:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf-...re-dame-jack-swarbrick-sincere-045713273.html

You've got to be kidding me. Turns out the sports media really is that dumb.
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This article is ridiculous. As if Deadspin has to wait forever for Notre Dame to respond before publishing. So if they don't respond, they can never publish? Bullshit. Also, it seems that ND did not even contact people mentioned in the Deadspin article who are clearly the most important people in the investigation. So I don't know why we would just believe Notre Dame, unless we are still starstruck by the golden dome.
 
iammeiam said:
Have to love that they feel Deadspin has some 'splaining to do! They really are the bad guys here.
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Yeah, they say Deadspin is the real bad guy -- not writers like this who are basically human-interest story stenographers (because actual reporting is a pain in the ass).
 
mre said:
WHY DIDN'T THEY SKYPE?

WHY ISN'T THE MEDIA TALKING ABOUT THIS?
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They were just friends online for 2 years.. not all online friends ever video chat.

They then apparently got serious around the time the alleged hoaxer claimed to have gotten into a serious car accident..

And then was in the hospital being treated for cancer..

Both things that could have been excuses for the hoaxer not to meet or skype with Manti.

He's a virginesque goodie 2 shoes.. who also might have a bit of a hero complex.. both would make him susceptible to such a hoax, as well as cause him to exaggerate it all. OF COURSE he's supposed to act like she's the love of his life when she's sick and dying.. what else is a "good man" supposed to do for his "girlfriend?" Especially when he has told white lies to his family about meeting this person.

People who are hoaxed are often subconsciously complicit in some way, or have their own issues that are making them easily hoaxed.

This guy probably has zero experience with girls + a lot of pressure being this football star to have a girlfriend.. so him falling for and then exaggerating an online relationship hoax makes sense.
 
fmTDo.jpg


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These came across my facebook feed.
 
I hope for Deadspin's sake that they are correct on every part. The only evidence they have for Manti's complicity is an unnamed friend that is like "80% sure he was in on it" and assumptions based on inconsistencies and yet the article reads as if Teo's complicity is a forgone conclusion. If true the article could cost Te'o millions in the draft, if untrue it could get Deadspin sued out of their clothes.
 
So here's what I think. I think at some point Te'o found out that he was being duped. I think it was much earlier than they're claiming, but he agreed with the perpetrator to keep quiet about it to not be a distraction during the season and to save himself a whole lot of embarrassment. They probably figured that it would fade away at some point and be forgotten, a once in a while referenced thing in his life, but never that big of a deal.

Then Deadspin blew it all up.

Now they have to figure out how to justify lying about it for however long Manti knew. I'd say whenever his family started talking about her regularly, that's probably around the time he found out and he got them to help cover things out.

I'm guessing that his statement will consist of these things:

- I found out, but didn't want to be a distraction to me team, so I decided to wait to talk about it, and we were preparing to come forward when the story broke
- We're still figuring out the who, what, why, and when ourselves.
- I now realize that coming forward earlier would have been the correct course of action, and I apologize to my fans, the Notre Dame fans and administration, and anybody else who was affected by this
- My focus now is on the NFL draft and putting this behind me
 
LowKeyedUp said:
I hope for Deadspin's sake that they are correct on every part. The only evidence they have for Manti's complicity is an unnamed friend that is like "80% sure he was in on it" and assumptions based on inconsistencies and yet the article reads as if Teo's complicity is a forgone conclusion. If true the article could cost Te'o millions in the draft, if untrue it could get Deadspin sued out of their clothes.
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The Deadspin article ignores that a multitude of exposed Tweets do not indicate Te'o being complicit.

Those tweets all laugh at Te'o being tricked.

This thread is ignoring it as well.

To me that indicates: he was hoaxed, and also told white lies about his online girlfriend.

It's those white lies that make it look like Te'o and/or his Dad was in on it, when there is a COMPLETELY plausible explanation for those lies.. since MANY PEOPLE have lied about the nature of online relationships.

Even the phone call stuff.. maybe he did talk on the phone with a female hoaxer, maybe as much as he said.

Or maybe he chatted online all of those hours.. and since a lot of people, including his Father, would have trouble relating to that.. he exaggerated it into long phone calls.

He's a bit twisted in the head no matter what the conclusion is.. the question is.. how twisted? If there were no phone calls and he WAS hoaxed, then the exageration of that becomes somewhat twisted.. as he told fairly elaborate stories of being on the phone with her when he was sleeping.

The entire thing is so sappy and dorky either way, lol.
 
LowKeyedUp said:
I hope for Deadspin's sake that they are correct on every part. The only evidence they have for Manti's complicity is an unnamed friend that is like "80% sure he was in on it" and assumptions based on inconsistencies and yet the article reads as if Teo's complicity is a forgone conclusion. If true the article could cost Te'o millions in the draft, if untrue it could get Deadspin sued out of their clothes.
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There is also evidence a named friend of his was involved. I guess his friend could just want to fuck him over, but eh....
 
nVidiot_Whore said:
The Deadspin article ignores that a multitude of exposed Tweets do not indicate Te'o being complicit.

Those tweets all laugh at Te'o being tricked.

This thread is ignoring it as well.

To me that indicates: he was hoaxed, and also told white lies about his online girlfriend.

It's those white lies that make it look like Te'o and/or his Dad was in on it, when there is a COMPLETELY plausible explanation for those lies.. since MANY PEOPLE have lied about the nature of online relationships.
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What tweets are you referring to?
 
LowKeyedUp said:
I hope for Deadspin's sake that they are correct on every part. The only evidence they have for Manti's complicity is an unnamed friend that is like "80% sure he was in on it" and assumptions based on inconsistencies and yet the article reads as if Teo's complicity is a forgone conclusion. If true the article could cost Te'o millions in the draft, if untrue it could get Deadspin sued out of their clothes.
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Deadspin only reported that she didn't exist, they didn't make any jumps accusing him of being in on it.
 
Yeah, if Deadspin didn't come bulletproof in this (to be honest, I don't have much faith they did), even if they're close on it, they're gonna eat like four lawsuits here. I know they didn't say anything about him being involved, but they still put themselves out there.

Come at the king, you best not miss
 
TangoAlphaLima said:
Do people still vehemently hate Notre Dame, despite their total lack of success over the past 2 decades and recent drubbing in the national championship game? Shouldn't people hate Alabama more?
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No, because ND and many of its fans still act like they are the center of college football and are superior to other programs despite the total lack of success over the past 2 decades.
 
GitarooMan said:
There is also evidence a named friend of his was involved. I guess his friend could just want to fuck him over, but eh....
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I think they made some leaps that could end up destroying them. On AC360 last night one of the Deadspin authors said they got the tip email a week ago. That's one week of investigative journalism. Is that due diligence?
 
LowKeyedUp said:
I hope for Deadspin's sake that they are correct on every part. The only evidence they have for Manti's complicity is an unnamed friend that is like "80% sure he was in on it" and assumptions based on inconsistencies and yet the article reads as if Teo's complicity is a forgone conclusion. If true the article could cost Te'o millions in the draft, if untrue it could get Deadspin sued out of their clothes.
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The numerous quotes from him (and his father Brian) stating that he "spent time," "met" and "vacationed" together is what that conclusion is based off of, not some anonymous source's hunch.

Also, thanks to the new sane structuring of NFL rookie contracts, this won't amount to tens of millions. His performance in the combine will assure that, anyhow.
BronsonLee said:
Yeah, if Deadspin didn't come bulletproof in this (to be honest, I don't have much faith they did), even if they're close on it, they're gonna eat like four lawsuits here.

Come at the king, you best not miss
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Prior restraint is such a powerful anathema in this country (see Brandenburg v. Ohio) that you can't waive a defamation suit to waive someone off like you can in the UK or South Korea.

Regardless, a big outlet doesn't publish a story that could potentially contain libel without passing it over to a lawyer's desk. NYTimes, WaPo, HuffPo all of a legal desk they pass by - I'm sure Gawker does as well.
 
Tamanon said:
Deadspin only reported that she didn't exist, they didn't make any jumps accusing him of being in on it.
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Yeah. The article quite clearly leads you to that conclusion, but nowhere does the writer say in his own words that Te'o was in on it.

Much in the same way that it seems that Te'o never directly indicated that he met the girl face to face. He only implied it.
 
nVidiot_Whore said:
The JayRaz or whatever stuff. Tweets from December.

I'll try to find links.
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Just to clarify, those were addressed here(I originally posted them) as well as the Deadspin article. Those tweets go back to an incident in 2008. The guy exposed RT then. He eventually figured out teo was being weird too, but this wasn't until December and he had no idea what story he was sitting on. He had no direct link to this incident.
 
GitarooMan said:
No, because ND and many of its fans still act like they are the center of college football and are superior to other programs despite the total lack of success over the past 2 decades.
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So they're delusional, I get that. But I never felt like Manti was an a-hole or anything, and his mere presence on the Notre Dame team doesn't mean he should be hated, at least not to me. So that's why I don't get the schadenfreude feeling. Never disliked the man, so I don't find any pleasure in watching his downfall. It's absolutely fascinating, though.
 
Mr.Awesome said:
Just to clarify, those were addressed here(I originally posted them) as well as the Deadspin article. Those tweets go back to an incident in 2008. The guy exposed RT then. He eventually figured out teo was being weird too, but this wasn't until December and he had no idea what story he was sitting on. He had no direct link to this incident.
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Thanks.

I swear they seemed to be claiming Te'o was hoaxed.

I understand the person wasn't involved directly, but they certainly didn't seem to think Te'o was behind it all.
 
Talon said:
Prior restraint is such a powerful anathema in this country (see Brandenburg v. Ohio) that you can't waive a defamation suit to waive someone off like you can in the UK or South Korea.

Regardless, a big outlet doesn't publish a story that could potentially contain libel without passing it over to a lawyer's desk. NYTimes, WaPo, HuffPo all of a legal desk they pass by - I'm sure Gawker does as well.
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Not a matter of waiving them off, to be honest. I expect one from ND, one from Te'o, and one from his family, if not one from the friend too. Whether anything comes of it is a other matter entirely.

I like some of Gawkers sites and all, but I don't think so. On this one? I'm betting they did, but they aren't always the most prudent when it comes to fact checking and such.

Again, not discounting their article or the work they did, but I'd put them in the realm of the Philadelphia Daily News than the Inquirer, if that makes sense.
 
nVidiot_Whore said:
The Deadspin article ignores that a multitude of exposed Tweets do not indicate Te'o being complicit.

Those tweets all laugh at Te'o being tricked.

This thread is ignoring it as well.

To me that indicates: he was hoaxed, and also told white lies about his online girlfriend.

It's those white lies that make it look like Te'o and/or his Dad was in on it, when there is a COMPLETELY plausible explanation for those lies.. since MANY PEOPLE have lied about the nature of online relationships.

Even the phone call stuff.. maybe he did talk on the phone with a female hoaxer, maybe as much as he said.

Or maybe he chatted online all of those hours.. and since a lot of people, including his Father, would have trouble relating to that.. he exaggerated it into long phone calls.

He's a bit twisted in the head no matter what the conclusion is.. the question is.. how twisted? If there were no phone calls and he WAS hoaxed, then the exageration of that becomes somewhat twisted.. as he told fairly elaborate stories of being on the phone with her when he was sleeping.

The entire thing is so sappy and dorky either way, lol.
Click to expand...

Fwiw the deadspin article has claimed he contacted everyone who commented of manti on twitter related the it being a hoax as he was gathering information. So all those tweets you mention was discussed by the tweeter and authors prior to writing the story.

Those tweets aren't part of the article but that could be because of what they told the authors.
 
DY_nasty said:
I'm not talking about him. Dude lost millions already when he got steamrolled by Alabama.

The talk about him not being drafted is ridiculous though. I can't imagine a scenario where he falls past the 2nd round.
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There's actually no possible way he falls past the Steelers #17 pick. Take that to the bank.
 
nVidiot_Whore said:
Thanks.

I swear they seemed to be claiming Te'o was hoaxed.

I understand the person wasn't involved directly, but they certainly didn't seem to think Te'o was behind it all.
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Yeah I don't think the guy thought teo was behind this. Probably just the opposite actually. But since he wasn't directly linked to this teo story, his opinion isn't holding a lot of water for most.

Deadspin has another article coming today I believe. Maybe then we will get some answers
 
LowKeyedUp said:
I hope for Deadspin's sake that they are correct on every part. The only evidence they have for Manti's complicity is an unnamed friend that is like "80% sure he was in on it" and assumptions based on inconsistencies and yet the article reads as if Teo's complicity is a forgone conclusion. If true the article could cost Te'o millions in the draft, if untrue it could get Deadspin sued out of their clothes.
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What? Deadspin isn't liable for anything. Te'o is the one that has explaining to do
 
nVidiot_Whore said:
The Deadspin article ignores that a multitude of exposed Tweets do not indicate Te'o being complicit.

Those tweets all laugh at Te'o being tricked.

This thread is ignoring it as well.

To me that indicates: he was hoaxed, and also told white lies about his online girlfriend.

It's those white lies that make it look like Te'o and/or his Dad was in on it, when there is a COMPLETELY plausible explanation for those lies.. since MANY PEOPLE have lied about the nature of online relationships.

Even the phone call stuff.. maybe he did talk on the phone with a female hoaxer, maybe as much as he said.

Or maybe he chatted online all of those hours.. and since a lot of people, including his Father, would have trouble relating to that.. he exaggerated it into long phone calls.

He's a bit twisted in the head no matter what the conclusion is.. the question is.. how twisted? If there were no phone calls and he WAS hoaxed, then the exageration of that becomes somewhat twisted.. as he told fairly elaborate stories of being on the phone with her when he was sleeping.

The entire thing is so sappy and dorky either way, lol.
Click to expand...

So he was in it?, at best not started it but continued it.

I love how you are trying to pacify straight up lies as "white"
 
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