|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 7:18:18 GMT -6
Let's all go to an imaginary fantasy world where T'eo wasn't complicit. In this fantasy world, you have a dude who called a person his "girlfriend" yet didn't travel to spend time with her after she almost died in a car wreck, didn't travel to support her when she was fighting leukemia for eight months, didn't travel to help her during her bone marrow transplant, and didn't go to her funeral. Yet, he still considered her his girlfriend.
That's enough to make you think the dude has serious issues even if he wasn't involved.
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 7:43:18 GMT -6
Here's the thing. The hoaxers supposedly called him on Dec 6th and informed him of the hoax. Yet two days later:
Brian Hamilton @chitribhamilton
Manti Te'o on 12/8, 2 days after hoaxers call again: "I don't like cancer at all. I lost both my grandparents and my girlfriend to cancer."
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 8:12:15 GMT -6
Saw this tweet from an Auburn fan: "If Alabama can have 15 national titles Manti Te'o can have a girlfriend in California"
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 8:16:49 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 16:38:21 GMT -6
Notre Dame is circling the wagons on the Manti Te'o not-really-dead-girlfriend hoax ... TMZ has learned the school has instructed staff to keep their mouths shut ... or else. One person connected to the program tells us ... officials have warned staff, if they speak to the media about the scandal without permission from the University, they will "never work for Notre Dame again." The ND athletic director already held a news conference last night, saying the University believes Manti is an innocent victim who was hoaxed by some cyber-bullies for no apparent reason. The initial article published by Deadspin.com suggests Manti may have been involved in concocting the hoax in an effort to gain publicity on a national level. Manti is expected to address the media later today. Stay tuned ... www.tmz.com/2013/01/17/manti-...hs-shut-quiet/
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 16:42:06 GMT -6
A Notre Dame Student’s Take On Manti Teo’s “Dead Girlfriend” Hoax Tyler Moorehead - ND Campus Rep We all saw this coming. Well, not ALL of this — but enough to make too many of us shudder. Notre Dame is not like most schools with big-time athletic programs — our student body population pales in comparison to other large schools. And what does that mean? Well, word spreads fast on Notre Dame’s campus, and many students knew a long time ago that there was something very fishy (or should I say, cat-fishy) about Manti Te’o's relationship with ‘Lennay Kekua’. When the story broke in mid-September that Manti lost his grandmother and girlfriend in a 24-hour period, the student body was shocked. Manti Te’o is truly a class act — it’s something that we have all seen first-hand over and over. I have seen him work hard in the classroom. I have seen him be ever-so-gracious with children that see him on campus. I have seen him be a great friend and person in general — not a soul that meets him comes away without being impressed. His manners would make any mother blush and he goes to mass with Tim Tebow-like regularity — he truly seems like the kind of guy that you’d want your daughter to marry someday. So when we heard the tragic news, the student body supported him in a manner that made national news. Yet, even before the Michigan State game, Manti Te’o was being questioned by his teammates. Apparently Manti had only “seen” Lennay once — but I assume “seen” was a rather loose term used for “chatted with online” (however, this is extremely complicated to understand since they were reportedly talking since 2009, according to the Te’o family). The debate among teammates wasn’t whether or not Manti actually knew this girl — it was clear that they had been in contact; no, players just didn’t think that it was fair to call Lennay Kekua Manti’s girlfriend, period (it is well-known on campus that he has had relations with other girls during his time at Notre Dame). They recognized what was going on for what it was — a terrible publicity stunt used to fuel Manti Te’o's Heisman campaign. In fact, many of the players privately commented that they didn’t want the students to wear leis in support of Manti and wouldn’t participate themselves — they cited that the team never responded so publicly to tragic events for other players. But there was also the feeling that Manti didn’t deserve to benefit from publicity from the death of somebody he barely knew. Manti must have known how beneficial this publicity would be in a season that marked Notre Dame’s return to the national elite, and one that also put him squarely in the Heisman race. As a defensive player, you can’t win the prestigious award without exceptional circumstances — and here one had conveniently fallen into his lap. So he went with it, fed off of it, and it riveted the nation. Love for Manti Te’o exceeded that of any player I have ever seen, and even non-Irish fans hailed him as an inspiration. And here’s where it all gets even trickier. Manti knew that it was over-the-top — his teammates had gotten that sense a long time prior. And now he was in too deep. More and more questions were asked about this fascinating story, and he kept answering them, calling Kekua “the love of his life”, even though he was digging a deeper and deeper hole for himself. And it didn’t help that his family, and specifically his father, Brian Te’o, was also talking about the incident, or lying as it appears. And yet, despite all of this, I genuinely believe Manti was duped, I truly do. I think Manti was fooled, got caught in a media frenzy and exaggerated their “relationship”. I don’t, however, think he orchestrated the deception. He made the mistake of running with the story rather than admitting the truth about the situation. He should have gotten away from this story at the very start — when she “passed”, he should have expressed his condolences to the family that he believed she had and moved on, rather than draw more attention to it. One thing that Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick made clear in his press conference is that he 100% believes Manti Te’o had feelings for this girl, and Manti is the perfect target for a trap like this because he truly cares about others. I have, like many others, met Manti Te’o, and numerous times. I believe he is a genuinely good guy. He came back to Notre Dame for his senior year to make a difference in the community and to be a positive role model to others. And it’s easy to see how he would be compelled to help this girl and make her a substantial part of his life. More and more evidence is coming out that seems to indicate that there was a clear intent by some sick people to trick Manti Te’o. Whether they were in it just for the cruel pleasure of fooling a famous figure or if they would have eventually attempted to blackmail Te’o for money once he made the NFL is unclear. But what Notre Dame firmly believes is that Manti Te’o was close enough with this girl to be hurt at her death, which he believed to be legitimate. And Te’o really knew something was wrong when she later “came back from the dead” to message him. Something was very, very wrong — he had been played. Now here’s the thing. While I believe Manti Te’o to have an incredibly good heart and to have gotten duped, I will also be quick to point out that he oversold all of this drama in the first place. It was heinous of him to play up a relationship as the love of his life for a girl he had never actually met — I think most people can agree that is ridiculous. And I think Notre Dame had to have some knowledge of the the whole case being significantly embellished but was on board because of the positive press and hype it brought to the university. Could it have been a massive oversight and university officials just took Manti at his word that it was his girlfriend? Absolutely, but I like to think my school’s athletic department is a little smarter than that — it has shown itself to be quite media savvy in the past. I think that Te’o, his family, and Notre Dame all knew what was going on in terms of hyperbole (but not the entire non-existence) and decided to go with it, never expecting the truth to come out. It remains to be seen what legacy Te'o will leave behind. Ultimately, the best thing about this is that nobody got hurt. This is extremely embarrassing for everyone involved, especially Manti Te’o if he was truly duped like I believe. While he should be ashamed about accepting the press that he did, this was not a scandal where victims were physically abused, caught cheating, or found dead. It was a massive series of lies that kept growing and growing. Plenty of people had an idea that something was going on — as soon as players found out, it slowly leaked to their friends, and their friends’ friends. But it all went left unsaid because nobody but Manti and the Lennay Kekua imposters truly knew the full reality of their relationship. Later today we expect to hear Manti’s side of the story — whether it will reveal the whole truth remains to be seen. But I expect to see a heartbroken and crestfallen Te’o for two reasons: I believe he was duped into thinking Lennay Kekua existed and is now publicly humiliated for that, and furthermore, I think he realizes his chance to be an icon who makes a positive difference is really hanging in the balance. Knowing Manti, I hope that it comes out that all he did was lie to get more press than he needed. That is bad, but not unforgiveable, and if there’s one person who’s history of good acts says he deserves a second chance, it’s Manti Te’o. collegespun.com/big-east/notr...x#.UPg0mXf5Wh7
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 16:44:47 GMT -6
tmz: The Manti Te'o not-really-dead-girlfriend hoax was perpetuated by a man named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo -- who served as a representative for the family of the fake "Lennay Kekua" ... and TMZ has the photo proof. Here's what we know ... While Manti was "dating" Lennay ... a Notre Dame die-hard fan who we'll call "Jan" (to protect her identity) reached out to Lennay on Twitter and began an online friendship. After Lennay's supposed death, Jan became involved with a group called "Wear a Lei 4 Manti" -- in which fans wore Hawaiian leis to ND football games to show their support for the football star. When the "Wear a Lei 4 Manti" movement began to receive media attention, Jan says she noticed she gained a Twitter follower named U'ilani Rae Kekua. Jan tells TMZ ... she reached out to U'ilani and asked if she was related to Lennay -- to which U'ilani replied, "Yes, that's my baby sister." The two became friends. In fact, Jan says they both mentioned how they were going to attend the Notre Dame vs. USC game in L.A. on November 24, 2012 ... so Jan sent U'ilani her cell phone number in case she wanted to meet up. Here's where the story takes a turn ... Jan tells TMZ she got a phone call from U'ilani on the day of the game directing her to the famous Tommy Trojan statue in front of the stadium, so they could meet up. But when Jan arrived to the statue, U'ilani was NOT there ... but guess who was -- Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. Jan and Ronaiah even took a photo together (see above). According to the Deadspin article, Ronaiah was the person who obtained the photo of the woman everyone believed to be Lennay ... and is suspected of having a major role in the hoax. Jan tells us Ronaiah was with a little girl during the USC meeting who they called Pookah -- and together, they explained how Lennay's sister couldn't come down to visit, so U'ilanio sent them instead. Jan says Ronaiah "made it seem as if he was a member of Lennay's family." After Jan and Ronaiah took the picture together -- Jan says Ronaiah began to act paranoid .. and told her, "Make sure you don't post this photo online." Soon after the game, Jan says she was contacted by U'ilani ... who also urged her NOT to post the picture of Ronaiah. She didn't explain why. U'ilani later sent a photo to Jan showing a woman at a cemetery -- and told her, "This is me and my family at Lennay's gravesite. We're spending the day here." Read more: www.tmzstore.comClearly, the woman in the photo is not U'ilani ('cause she doesn't really exist) ... and some digging suggests the woman in the photo is actually a woman named Donna Tei, who doesn't seem to have a relationship with anyone involved in the hoax. There's more ... Jan tells TMZ Lennay's "sister" continued to reach out to her after the USC game ... and delivered some more bad news -- that little Pookah had been diagnosed with lupus and was dying in a children's hospital in Orange County, CA. Jan said she wanted to send flowers -- so Lennay's "sister" gave her an address. TMZ has learned the address belongs to a member of the Tuiasosopo family. Jan also gave us the phone number Lennay's sister would use to contact her -- and we found out the number is registered to a man named Titus Tuiasosopo -- Ronaiah's father. We tried to reach out to Ronaiah -- but we couldn't get a hold of him. So far, he has yet to comment to the media about the story. Read more: www.tmzstore.com
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 16:51:09 GMT -6
asshat historyhorn is a fucking saint. historyhorn is a fucking saint. historyhorn is a fucking saint. historyhorn is a fucking saint. historyhorn is a fucking saint. historyhorn is a fucking saint. historyhorn is a fucking saint. historyhorn is a fucking saint. Join Date Jan 2008 Posts 1,197 deadspin.com/5976666/heres-ev...?post=56321736 Here's the most wildly diverging and most insanely contradictory element of the entire Te'o-Kekua scenario. Lennay Kekua's death was reported as having happened on Sept. 11 (per the Sept. 21, Sept. 23, and Sept. 29 South Bend Tribune and the Oct. 26 New York Times), Sept. 12 (per the Sept. 16 and Oct. 13 South Bend Tribune as well as Thamel's SI article and most other sources), Sept. 13 (KHON-Honolulu on Sept. 14, and KITV-Honolulu on Sept. 15), Sept. 14 (the Dec. 30 New York Post), and Sept. 15 (ESPN on Dec. 7, the Associated Press on Dec. 7, and CBS on Dec. 6). Meanwhile, there was somehow debate over which woman died first. The Oct. 13 South Bend Tribune reports that Lennay Kekua had sent a text message to Manti's parents, Brian and Ottilia, "expressing her condolences over the passing of Ottilia's mom, Annette Santiago." But according to the South Bend Tribune's reporting on Sept. 21, 23, and 29, Lennay was already dead: The South Bend Tribune seems like just about the worst newspaper in history.
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 17:01:41 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 17:05:37 GMT -6
Everyone on the hoax side is somehow connected to USC.
It's very possible this is an elaborate hoax carried out by So Cal. It would be the greatest prank ever.
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 17:18:21 GMT -6
Wow...OTL is calling out ND for carrying out an independent investigation into the Manti hoax, but not for the death of the videographer or girl who committed suicide after the alleged rape by football players
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 17, 2013 17:35:42 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by gk on Jan 17, 2013 23:09:43 GMT -6
Wow...OTL is calling out ND for carrying out an independent investigation into the Manti hoax, but not for the death of the videographer or girl who committed suicide after the alleged rape by football players So this is what's incredibly repulsive. I'm almost starting to think that universities with massive football programs invested heavily in myth-making tend to close ranks around their corrupt saints.
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 18, 2013 6:35:37 GMT -6
Wow...OTL is calling out ND for carrying out an independent investigation into the Manti hoax, but not for the death of the videographer or girl who committed suicide after the alleged rape by football players So this is what's incredibly repulsive. I'm almost starting to think that universities with massive football programs invested heavily in myth-making tend to close ranks around their corrupt saints. Now you're just talking crazy.
|
|
|
Post by fatmenace on Jan 18, 2013 6:36:58 GMT -6
m.espn.go.com/ncf/story?storyId=8854472Dan Tudesco, a 2006 graduate who now works in public relations in New York, set up an online account at fundraising website indiegogo.com on Jan. 9 to solicit $5,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc. The initial pitch said donations would go to the society in memory of Lennay Kekua and in honor of Te'o, "two individuals who have been an inspiration to us through an iconic season." ... So Notre Dame found out about this on 12/26, but was still trying to capitalize on it for good publicity when these dudes set up this charity after the NC game?
|
|