Manti Te'o is officially a member of Notre Dame

[Donuthole]

But did this fellow not state publicly that he spoke with this gal by phone during her illness? Or was that from his father?

I didn't say there wouldn't be plenty of holes in his claim. Just that he won't fess up to being complicit, at least initially; he may eventually have no choice, depending on what else comes to light.

[Non Sequitur]

WHAT?! My girlfriend I never knew I had died?! NOOOOOOO!

How is that even possible.

It happens. I know people who carry on relationships with people they meet online and never meet in person. It always involves phone sex.

[Cougarmandias]

From ESPN:

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. We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her.

"To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating.

"It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother's death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life.

"I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about her just makes me sick. I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been.

"In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people online than I was.

"Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I'm looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL Draft."

I'm a little dubious about the part where whoever it was duped him on the phone.

[Eddie]

I'm still waiting for someone to suggest that this buddy of his who somehow helped perpetuate things is his "girlfriend" in more than a hoax sense...and that he is the person Teo was actually communicating with, etc....

That's about the only thing I can think of that would make this whole thing more fun to watch unfold.

[Surfah]

Watching his statement on ESPN now....and then an old interview of him where he talks all about her...he is flat out full of shit.

The kid had the world in his hands just 2 weeks ago. Then he crapped the bed on the biggest stage in college football. And now this.

[Moliere]

Hard to reconcile with Manti's own statements about meeting her, talking to her on the phone nightly . . .

Maybe the "girlfriends" voice sounded a lot like the internal voice I use to read LA Ute's posts.

[Eddie]

I didn't say there wouldn't be plenty of holes in his claim. Just that he won't fess up to being complicit, at least initially; he may eventually have no choice, depending on what else comes to light.

Dude needs to learn a lesson from Lance Armstrong. Carrying on after you've been busted is NEVER a good thing.

[BigPiney]

Ken Jennings for the win:

WHOA. I am no longer the most famous Mormon to invent an always-suspiciously-absent "girlfriend" in college.

https://jp.twitter.com/KenJennings/status/291660149389684736

[UtahDan]

[YOUTUBE]ao109a38uVY[/YOUTUBE]

[UtahDan]

The kid had the world in his hands just 2 weeks ago. Then he crapped the bed on the biggest stage in college football. And now this.

My guess is he still makes a lot of money playing football.

[DrumNFeather]

The kid had the world in his hands just 2 weeks ago. Then he crapped the bed on the biggest stage in college football. And now this.

Gotta be very satisfying for Cougar nation...or anyone who hates Notre Dame.

[Donuthole]

The kid had the world in his hands just 2 weeks ago. Then he crapped the bed on the biggest stage in college football. And now this.

Right events, wrong sequence, apparently. I look forward to the claims that the reason he crapped the bed in the BCS Championship was because this was on his mind.

[Donuthole]

Gotta be very satisfying for Cougar nation...or anyone who hates Notre Dame.

I don't find even a morsel of satisfaction in this. I do think it is beyond fascinating, though.

[BigPiney]

Gotta be very satisfying for Cougar nation...or anyone who hates Notre Dame.

That makes two for me.

Saw this:

Manti Te'o wasn't missing tackles in the National Championship, he was hugging his girlfriend.

[Cougarmandias]

I'm still waiting for someone to suggest that this buddy of his who somehow helped perpetuate things is his "girlfriend" in more than a hoax sense...and that he is the person Teo was actually communicating with, etc....

That's about the only thing I can think of that would make this whole thing more fun to watch unfold.

Still waiting? LA Ute hinted it a couple of pages back. I'll admit the thought also crossed my mind. But I doubt it a lot. The whole thing sounds more like a publicity ploy and a giant pranking of the media than a real attempt to divert attention from rumors that didn't exist in the first place.