Manti Te'o

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Inside the 'Real Tragedy' of Manti Te'o Catfish Hoax

Netflix doc shows 'just how easy it was for him to get hoodwinked,' writes SI's Jimmy Traina

(Newser) - In 2013, the sports world was turned upside down when Deadspin reported that the girlfriend of Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o, who was said to have died of leukemia, didn't exist . Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who has since come out as a trans woman named Naya, admitted to creating...

No. 69 on Maxim's Hot 100: Manti Te'o's Fake Girlfriend

She looks great in a bikini, the magazine points out

(Newser) - The No. 1 pick for this year's Maxim Hot 100 is no surprise, since Miley Cyrus just couldn't contain her excitement and spilled the beans over the weekend —but No. 69 is definitely an amusing surprise. It's Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend, as Mashable noticed,...

Manti Te'o Picked by Chargers
 Manti Te'o Picked by Chargers 
Apr 26, 2013 6:36 PM CDT

Manti Te'o Picked by Chargers

Notre Dame linebacker was victim of girlfriend hoax

(Newser) - A second-round pick in the NFL draft might be getting more attention than any player who went in the first round. That's because it's Manti Te'o, the former Notre Dame linebacker caught up in the bizarre girlfriend-who-didn't exist hoax from earlier this year. The San Diego...

NFL to Teams: No, You Can't Ask About Sexuality

Pledges to look into allegations at combine

(Newser) - The NFL promises to investigate claims by at least one NFL prospect that teams asked about players' sexuality during interviews at this week's scouting combine, reports USA Today . "Like all employers, our teams are expected to follow applicable federal, state and local employment laws," says a league...

10 Most Unpopular Athletes
 10 Most Unpopular Athletes 
Feb 6, 2013 6:04 PM CST

10 Most Unpopular Athletes

Manti Te'o joins Lance Armstrong at top of list

(Newser) - The new Nielsen/E-Poll survey of the most disliked athletes in America has the not-so-surprising name of Lance Armstrong at the top of the list, reports Forbes . More surprising is that Notre Dame star and soon-to-be-NFL'er Manti Te'o tied Armstrong with a measly 15% approval rating. Even if he...

Te'o Hoaxer: I Was in Love With Te'o

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo gives first interview to Dr. Phil

(Newser) - Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the 22-year-old man behind Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend, gave his first interview to Dr. Phil McGraw, and explained his motivation for continuing the hoax: love. Tuiasosopo revealed to McGraw that he "fell deeply, romantically in love" with Te'o, McGraw said in a preview of...

Actually, That Was a Woman Talking to Te'o
 Actually, That 
 Was a Woman 
 Talking to Te'o 
say relatives
Jan 25, 2013 10:47 AM CST

Actually, That Was a Woman Talking to Te'o

Tuiasosopo family recognizes voice of cousin Tino

(Newser) - Surprised at how womanly the voice of Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend sounded? Well, that's because it actually was a woman doing the talking, the New York Post reports. Earlier reports pinned the phone calls on Ronaiah Tuiasosopo , but now multiple members of the Tuiasosopo family tell the...

Hear the Voice of Manti Te'o's 'Girlfriend'

He releases three voicemails to Katie Couric, denies he's gay

(Newser) - The latest twist in the Manti Te'o saga is that he spoke on the phone for hundreds of hours with a man posing as his non-existent girlfriend. Now Te'o has released three voicemails to Katie Couric's show , and you can grade the apparent falsetto yourself. The voice...

Te'o Spent Hours on Phone With Guy Playing His 'Girlfriend'

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo's lawyer says he affected a female voice

(Newser) - You probably didn't think this was possible, but the Manti Te'o story just got even weirder. A source close to Te'o has given ESPN phone records that appear to indicate that Te'o did indeed spend hours on the phone with someone he thought was Lennay Kekua—...

Manti Te'o: Yes, I Lied —Briefly

 Manti Te'o: 
 Yes, I Lied 
 —Briefly 
katie couric interview
Jan 23, 2013 10:00 AM CST

Manti Te'o: Yes, I Lied —Briefly

Explains his side of the story to Katie Couric

(Newser) - Manti Te'o admits to Katie Couric that yes, he did lie about supposed girlfriend Lennay Kekua—but only after discovering she didn't really exist . "Katie, put yourself in my situation. I, my whole world told me that she died on Sept. 12. Everybody knew that. This girl,...

Manti Te'o: 'I Wasn't Part of This'

Notre Dame star says he was a victim of girlfriend hoax

(Newser) - Manti Te'o has broken his silence over the dead girlfriend hoax , and he insists to ESPN that he was a victim the whole time: "I wasn't faking," he says. "I wasn't part of this." The Notre Dame star says he didn't know...

Hoaxster's Friend: Manti Te'o 'Was a Victim'

But questions far from answered about football star's role

(Newser) - Factor this into the Manti Te'o riddle: A friend of the man thought to have engineered the hoax says Te'o had nothing to do with it. "He told me that Manti was not involved at all, he was a victim," the unidentified young woman tells ESPN...

Manti Te'o Has Some Holes in His Story

Says he learned of hoax on Dec. 6, but spoke of girlfriend in interviews after that

(Newser) - If Manti Te'o really was an innocent dupe, tricked into believing he had a girlfriend with a tragic story , he's going to have some explaining to do, reports the AP . Two holes in Te'o's story so far:
  • Even though Te'o says he learned on Dec.
...

Why Wasn't Notre Dame This Concerned About a Real Girl?

School's handling of sex-assault cases comes under fire

(Newser) - Notre Dame is sticking by Manti Te'o, taking him at his word that he was a victim and not a perpetrator of the non-existent girlfriend hoax . The school promises its own investigation into this "cruel game." But where was this outrage, this determination to get to the...

And Now: 'Te'oing' Memes
 And Now: 'Te'oing' Memes 
Jan 17, 2013 12:47 PM CST

And Now: 'Te'oing' Memes

Hoax has fake girlfriends popping up online

(Newser) - The crazy hoax involving the nonexistent girlfriend of Notre Dame star Manti Te'o now gets the ultimate modern tribute—its own meme. As in, guys posting photos of themselves with an arm wrapped around ... nothing, reports E! Online . You can see the fast-growing Tumblr here . Te'o, meanwhile, maintains...

Notre Dame Star's Uplifting Story Was a Hoax

Late girlfriend of Manti Te'o never existed, says Deadspin

(Newser) - Sports website Deadspin has uncovered a doozy of a scoop in the world of college football: This year's inspirational tale of woe about Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o looks to be an elaborate hoax. All season, fans heard how Te'o drew inspiration from girlfriend Lennay Kekua, who...

Freshman Heisman Winner? Maybe Tonight

Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel might make history

(Newser) - A little history might be made at tonight's Heisman Trophy presentation, with Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel in the running to be the first freshman to get college football's top honor. There's a reason the 20-year-old is called "Johnny Football," as his stats prove:...

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