Manti Te'o got ate by a catfish or something

[sighyoung]

Te'o should have realized that a bird in the hand is worth two on the net.

[ndistops]

Stories like this are why people shouldn't pretend to form well thought-out opinions before proper info is released.

It looks like Te'o was duped AND allowed the story to be milked beyond reason because, hell, why not? Everyone was slurping him, why call attention to the fact that the girlfriend was online only and make himself look like a tool?

All the backstory about having met the girl is easily explainable by Te'o having made it up to his dad and his dad talking about it to the papers. Te'o basically never said anything to the media about being in person with this girl - essentially it was lying by omission.

This whole story is ridiculous.

You were doing so good up until now.

Tell me what in my post is wrong. Just because I'm not explicitly going after the kid for being a lying douchebag doesn't mean I think he is blameless.

[ndistops]

Yahoo sources are now saying that ND administrators expected Te'o and/or his reps to get out in front of this story on Monday and that didn't happen. A really stupid non-move. Letting Deadspin have the first word on this story was a huge misstep.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

For as much as I dislike ND, think they're overrated and their fans are, painting with a broadbrush here, annoying and the school itself is narcissistic, I agree with ndistops. More and more, it appears the guy was duped.

I'll be the first to say, I can totally see myself acting the same way Te'o did. Well, maybe not the falling in love over the internet part, but let's be realistic. Who on GRB has never gotten pissed off? Everyone does. All the time. Emotional connections occur over the internet. And, this is one of the more mild mannered blogs. Look at Cards talk. People go in and out hating each other. And, that's pretty normal. Who's to say love can't blossom over the internet, twitter and the phone? It's certainly possible.

So, assuming the guy 'fell in love' despite not meeting this girl, and then she dies and a reporter asks him about it, what is he supposed to say? Sure, he was lying by ommission and even misled reporters to thinking they had met. But....who can really blame him? In his mind, his feelings were legit. I certainly wouldn't have said, "Yeah, we were only online boyfriend and girlfriend. I've never met her." That would certainly lessen what he felt and on top of it been weird.

Should he have been more cynical? Obviously. But he wasn't. Shame on him. I have a tough time getting all that mad at him for the way he handled everything, again assuming he was in fact duped and acting on his feelings as opposed to, you know, getting more votes.

[Socnorb11]

Stories like this are why people shouldn't pretend to form well thought-out opinions before proper info is released.

It looks like Te'o was duped AND allowed the story to be milked beyond reason because, hell, why not? Everyone was slurping him, why call attention to the fact that the girlfriend was online only and make himself look like a tool?

All the backstory about having met the girl is easily explainable by Te'o having made it up to his dad and his dad talking about it to the papers. Te'o basically never said anything to the media about being in person with this girl - essentially it was lying by omission.

This whole story is ridiculous.

I think your first statement is dead on.

I was listening to The Score (670) Tuesday afternoon, and they were literally calling Te'o every name in the book, thinking that he had made this whole thing up. I mean, they completely trashed him, verbally. It was painful. I haven't listened to them since then, but I'm curious if they have apologized.

What's to apologize for?
Even if he isn't complicit, he still lied and used the lie to pimp his heisman cause. He's at the very best, a deceitful, dishonorable, naive media whore.

He lied about meeting her? Sure. And maybe he's a media whore (but Johnny Manziel is, too). But they implied.......... actually more than implied, they ACCUSED him of making the whole thing up, which isn't the case at all.

[thrill]

Stories like this are why people shouldn't pretend to form well thought-out opinions before proper info is released.

It looks like Te'o was duped AND allowed the story to be milked beyond reason because, hell, why not? Everyone was slurping him, why call attention to the fact that the girlfriend was online only and make himself look like a tool?

All the backstory about having met the girl is easily explainable by Te'o having made it up to his dad and his dad talking about it to the papers. Te'o basically never said anything to the media about being in person with this girl - essentially it was lying by omission.

This whole story is ridiculous.

I think your first statement is dead on.

I was listening to The Score (670) Tuesday afternoon, and they were literally calling Te'o every name in the book, thinking that he had made this whole thing up. I mean, they completely trashed him, verbally. It was painful. I haven't listened to them since then, but I'm curious if they have apologized.

What's to apologize for?
Even if he isn't complicit, he still lied and used the lie to pimp his heisman cause. He's at the very best, a deceitful, dishonorable, naive media whore.

He lied about meeting her? Sure. And maybe he's a media whore (but Johnny Manziel is, too). But they implied.......... actually more than implied, they ACCUSED him of making the whole thing up, which isn't the case at all.

It could easily still be the case. The point is we don't know, which is what I agree with andy and you about at this point. What I was criticizing andy for was following up we definitely don't know with, essentially, accusing everyone who thinks he's complicit of being definitely wrong.

[pioneer98]

It's looking more and more like he was duped and just made some lies about it. When you are at the front of a media machine pumping you for Heisman, lies can be a big deal.

I wonder if Te'o ever wired money to someone trying to get home from Nigeria, where they offered to pay him back twice as much when they got home.

[ndistops]

It could easily still be the case. The point is we don't know, which is what I agree with andy and you about at this point. What I was criticizing andy for was following up we definitely don't know with, essentially, accusing everyone who thinks he's complicit of being definitely wrong.

I'm not accusing anyone of being wrong. Too quick to jump to conclusions, I'm definitely accusing people of doing, but it's also something I do pretty much always. It's human nature especially in the Twitter age.

[Jocephus]

he's been duped again. manti prepared to release statement regarding the validity of santa claus and the easter bunny. ND is fully behind mr. te'o.

[JL21]