Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te’o wrenched the public’s
hearts this past football season after the story of his personal
tragedy made headlines: Te’o reportedly suffered the death of both
his grandmother and his girlfriend within a matter of hours. He
then repaired said wrenched hearts on the field, racking up 12
tackles and leading his team to triumph against Michigan State.
Then the news broke that Te’o’s girlfriend wasn’t a real person,
that he never met her, and that the whole drama was all an
elaborate hoax. Some accused Te’o of being a part of the scheme in
order to garner attention and sympathy, but now it’s being reported
that
one man was the mastermind behind the whole malicious prank.
The story is still under investigation, and Te’o spoke to ABC’s
Katie
Couric about the affair earlier this week.
While the bizarre truth continues to be uncovered in dribs and
drabs, here are a few observations to ponder while making judgments
about the whole thing:
— Why would Te’o feel the need to invent such a story? He could
hardly have hoped to gain more respect or attention than he already
had in droves for being an outstanding athlete. It didn’t win him
the Heisman and I don’t think the NFL recruits its players based on
their background stories. (If they did,
Tim Tebow would be at the top of the list and
Ray Lewis not even on it.) Adding a nonexistent girlfriend to
the mix, especially in a digital world where nothing remains
secret, would be a risk not worth the reward.
— Te’o told his father that he had met the girl he considered
his girlfriend, and he admitted to Couric that this was a lie.
“What would you do?” Te’o asked her. Sure, lying is wrong and never
excusable, but in some situations, it’s understandable. Right after
the girlfriend story was exposed as a charade, Te’o released the
following
statement:
“This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an
extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with
a woman I met online.”
Yes, having an online-exclusive relationship you consider “love”
is embarrassing, and it’s encouraging to know that Te’o
realized it. Can we cut the guy some slack here, please? Or do we
only feel sorry for people when their loved ones die, and not when
they are enduring painful scrutiny for a regrettable mistake?
— It’s the media’s fault. Kind of. What do they love more than
an emotional sob story, especially when it involves the ethnically
diverse? Had Te’o’s hardships not been sensationalized to the
degree of national mania, I am almost certain he would have pulled
the reins sooner, thus avoiding the compromising situation in which
he now finds himself.
— Te’o is young, cute, poised for gridiron greatness. The
relationship was fake, but the girl is not. There is a
real girl behind that face he “fell in love” with, and she’s been
speaking out. What are you waiting for, Manti?
