How can you even act like this is a traditional "catfished" story. It's anything but that and your gullible as hell if you say otherwise. He wasn't talking to a 300lb obese woman every night or even a homosexual male who acted like a woman online. The profile was ran by his friends, who he has been in contact with and who even tweeted about hanging out with after the notre dame vs USC game! So he was catfished by his friend from high school who he still kept in contact with..and has even been described as a "family friend"? Uh, that's not being catfished and any logical person will call bullshit on this entire string of lies. I live in northern Indiana and even a large majority of ND fans don't believe him! Manti might be a good religious boy, but he fucked himself on this one. I believe he started this whole thing without realizing what he was doing. I think the media got ahold of the story and blew it up and Te'o was knee deep in a web of lies and has no choice but to go along with it. Who knew of Manti before this story broke in September? I'll wait....NOBODY! I'm sure he loved the attention, who wouldn't! Shit, if your skills can't get you on the front page of ESPN, make up a good story that the media and America will love! People love to act like these great athletes are Ghandi or Jesus Christ and then are shocked to find out they aren't. Trust me, athletes don't become D1 superstars, or get to the league by being nice and warm hearted individuals. Stop living in a fairy tale
Anthony Waddell - 11 years ago
Dear Morons,
First and foremost go read the story that broke this scandal on deadspin. The media is putting the victim spin on this because they were duped by a paper thin story. They want you to think he is the victim so they dont look incompetent. He was not "catfished". When you are catfished you think your talking to some 20 year old with big cans when youre actually talking to a 40 year old truck drivers wife. He as self admittedly lied. He made up all this shit about time they spent together and he's now saying they never met. So he lied from the start. Secondly his gfs twitter account was being ran by his friend. Why would his friend keep a joke going for 3 years? He supposedly found out he had been "tricked" december 6th as stated by him and ND. He then went on national tv 2 days later and talked about her again. Why would you continue to talk about her after you found out she wasnt real? He is a liar and has admitted it. Hes trying to wiggle his way out of his scheme by saying he was tricked. Hes a deviant and an attention whore.
Janis - 11 years ago
There is something wrong in LA. Assumption: complicit. That is cynical as all heck and really pathetic.
Jordan - 11 years ago
Shugar, I would like to remind you of Penn State, and say Californians need to wake up and open their eyes if you are speaking for the whole state.
chester bestertester - 11 years ago
He knew all along. I'm say this to give him the benefit of the doubt -- if he DIDN'T know, then he's a complete idiot!
tits - 11 years ago
A football player may or may not have been tricked???!!! Who fucking cares?
Ian - 11 years ago
Hes so full of shit, and he knew about it all along because he's the one that made her up.
1. First he said they meet in 2009, then he changed it to 2011, how do you not know the date you met s some if you loved them
Joe - 11 years ago
I was on the other end of this. I was impersonated online for years, even having my picture used. I was fired from my job because of comments the perpetrators made online in my name. Had to change my name and leave state. Police did nothing but take a report. Guess since I'm not a pro athlete it doesn't matter.
JB - 11 years ago
You can be catfished, BUT for THREE years....man, come'on!!! So a young, attractive football player with a buffed body raging with testosterone and other "sexy-like" hormones.....is going to fall in love and seriously date for THREE years a woman he has never seen nor touched??? People, get real.....................
djaymick - 11 years ago
The guy is a liar and the previous comments made by him and his family prove they were caught. I am not a USC fan and never will be. I still believe Utah got screwed on a national championship game because USC (and Pete Carroll) were the favorites of the sports writers (who control the rankings).
For those who think he was an innocent victim, please wake up. If someone means that much to you, would you attend the funeral? Does having an online communication with someone mean your dating?
Jim - 11 years ago
T'eo and ND's whole cover up story is such transparent BS that it's laughable. Just can't wait to see all of this come unraveled.
brendon - 11 years ago
Obviously USC fans voting on this poll
It's happened to me... - 11 years ago
I was also "catfished". It was an online relationship that started around 1997-1998. We met through Yahoo's card game chat rooms. We meet up around the same time each day - played cards and chatted. Eventually we spoke on the phone, but not for long periods of time. Moments here and there. I was maybe 19-20 years of age and from the sound of her, I believed she was a little older than I was. I didn't think about it much, I just rolled with it. Soon I didn't see her online much. We rarely emailed if I recall correctly. After not hearing from her for awhile, I was happy to see an email pop up from her. Well, it was not anything I expected. It actually was typed by her daughter; her 30 year old daughter. I was in disbelief! My online relationship was actually with a 50+ year old woman who lived in a assisted home leaving facility because she was not mentally capable to live on her own. Her daughter found out that she was having online relationships with people all over the world. The perpetrators family decided to email all that were affected, and as a safety measure, take away her computer privilages completely away. I guess I just didn't care enough about the lady to feel that I was a victim. Now that I look back though, I'm completely blown away by the thought of this ever happening to me.
Jim - 11 years ago
The lid's just beginning to come off of this one. Like all such coverups, the initial lies will prove to be the least of it, as the denials and lies after the fact will end up doing by far the most damage. I have little doubt now that the ND Athletic Dept is part of the deception as well, so the really juicy fallout is yet to come. Can't wait to hear it all! Armstrong and Te'o back to back! Good things come in bundles.
Shugar - 11 years ago
This poll reflects the trust that Californians have of each other. Do this same poll in the midwest and the results would be drastically different. At the end of the day, let me say this: There is no way that ND and Swarbrick back this up without having found out the truth... too risky for them. Many extremely intelligent and savvy people would be embarrassed and potentially unemployable if the story didn't check out.
CRM - 11 years ago
Te'o claimed to have met her in person first, and told his family they hung out in Hawaii together several times. He claims to have talked to her on the phone constantly and had contact with her family. He's lied to everyone, why should we believe him?
jason - 11 years ago
I want to believe he was a victim, and I will do so unless proof changes my opinion. The alternative is just sick and dark...is that really a place we've reached?
Janice Brathwaite - 11 years ago
If you have never been catfished you probably don't believe it can be done. I had an online relationship with a man who said that his wife and daughter died in a car accident (I believe he said this because he was afraid if I knew the truth he wouldn't have a chance. He was a police officer in Pittsburg (that part was true). However the picture he gave me he finally confessed was of his neighbor (probably because he was much more attractive than him. I kept asking him to go on webcam with me and he always had an excuse. I kept asking him to come to my state and visit, but he always had something going on that prevented him from coming. I finally laid the hammer down and told him that either he contact me in person or tell me what exactly was going on I would never talke to him again. It turns out part of his story was true. His daughter did die in a car accident, but his wife was alive (although supposedly in a wheelchair). I asked him why he would do something so awful and he said he didn't realize how far he was into the story until I started pressuring him. This relationship had gone on for 8 months before the truth came out. I'm a college educated woman with an advanced degree. Like all catfish I took a chance that this might be the right person. I learned a valuable lesson and I'm sure this football player has also learned a valuable lesson.
How can you even act like this is a traditional "catfished" story. It's anything but that and your gullible as hell if you say otherwise. He wasn't talking to a 300lb obese woman every night or even a homosexual male who acted like a woman online. The profile was ran by his friends, who he has been in contact with and who even tweeted about hanging out with after the notre dame vs USC game! So he was catfished by his friend from high school who he still kept in contact with..and has even been described as a "family friend"? Uh, that's not being catfished and any logical person will call bullshit on this entire string of lies. I live in northern Indiana and even a large majority of ND fans don't believe him! Manti might be a good religious boy, but he fucked himself on this one. I believe he started this whole thing without realizing what he was doing. I think the media got ahold of the story and blew it up and Te'o was knee deep in a web of lies and has no choice but to go along with it. Who knew of Manti before this story broke in September? I'll wait....NOBODY! I'm sure he loved the attention, who wouldn't! Shit, if your skills can't get you on the front page of ESPN, make up a good story that the media and America will love! People love to act like these great athletes are Ghandi or Jesus Christ and then are shocked to find out they aren't. Trust me, athletes don't become D1 superstars, or get to the league by being nice and warm hearted individuals. Stop living in a fairy tale
Dear Morons,
First and foremost go read the story that broke this scandal on deadspin. The media is putting the victim spin on this because they were duped by a paper thin story. They want you to think he is the victim so they dont look incompetent. He was not "catfished". When you are catfished you think your talking to some 20 year old with big cans when youre actually talking to a 40 year old truck drivers wife. He as self admittedly lied. He made up all this shit about time they spent together and he's now saying they never met. So he lied from the start. Secondly his gfs twitter account was being ran by his friend. Why would his friend keep a joke going for 3 years? He supposedly found out he had been "tricked" december 6th as stated by him and ND. He then went on national tv 2 days later and talked about her again. Why would you continue to talk about her after you found out she wasnt real? He is a liar and has admitted it. Hes trying to wiggle his way out of his scheme by saying he was tricked. Hes a deviant and an attention whore.
There is something wrong in LA. Assumption: complicit. That is cynical as all heck and really pathetic.
Shugar, I would like to remind you of Penn State, and say Californians need to wake up and open their eyes if you are speaking for the whole state.
He knew all along. I'm say this to give him the benefit of the doubt -- if he DIDN'T know, then he's a complete idiot!
A football player may or may not have been tricked???!!! Who fucking cares?
Hes so full of shit, and he knew about it all along because he's the one that made her up.
1. First he said they meet in 2009, then he changed it to 2011, how do you not know the date you met s some if you loved them
I was on the other end of this. I was impersonated online for years, even having my picture used. I was fired from my job because of comments the perpetrators made online in my name. Had to change my name and leave state. Police did nothing but take a report. Guess since I'm not a pro athlete it doesn't matter.
You can be catfished, BUT for THREE years....man, come'on!!! So a young, attractive football player with a buffed body raging with testosterone and other "sexy-like" hormones.....is going to fall in love and seriously date for THREE years a woman he has never seen nor touched??? People, get real.....................
The guy is a liar and the previous comments made by him and his family prove they were caught. I am not a USC fan and never will be. I still believe Utah got screwed on a national championship game because USC (and Pete Carroll) were the favorites of the sports writers (who control the rankings).
For those who think he was an innocent victim, please wake up. If someone means that much to you, would you attend the funeral? Does having an online communication with someone mean your dating?
T'eo and ND's whole cover up story is such transparent BS that it's laughable. Just can't wait to see all of this come unraveled.
Obviously USC fans voting on this poll
I was also "catfished". It was an online relationship that started around 1997-1998. We met through Yahoo's card game chat rooms. We meet up around the same time each day - played cards and chatted. Eventually we spoke on the phone, but not for long periods of time. Moments here and there. I was maybe 19-20 years of age and from the sound of her, I believed she was a little older than I was. I didn't think about it much, I just rolled with it. Soon I didn't see her online much. We rarely emailed if I recall correctly. After not hearing from her for awhile, I was happy to see an email pop up from her. Well, it was not anything I expected. It actually was typed by her daughter; her 30 year old daughter. I was in disbelief! My online relationship was actually with a 50+ year old woman who lived in a assisted home leaving facility because she was not mentally capable to live on her own. Her daughter found out that she was having online relationships with people all over the world. The perpetrators family decided to email all that were affected, and as a safety measure, take away her computer privilages completely away. I guess I just didn't care enough about the lady to feel that I was a victim. Now that I look back though, I'm completely blown away by the thought of this ever happening to me.
The lid's just beginning to come off of this one. Like all such coverups, the initial lies will prove to be the least of it, as the denials and lies after the fact will end up doing by far the most damage. I have little doubt now that the ND Athletic Dept is part of the deception as well, so the really juicy fallout is yet to come. Can't wait to hear it all! Armstrong and Te'o back to back! Good things come in bundles.
This poll reflects the trust that Californians have of each other. Do this same poll in the midwest and the results would be drastically different. At the end of the day, let me say this: There is no way that ND and Swarbrick back this up without having found out the truth... too risky for them. Many extremely intelligent and savvy people would be embarrassed and potentially unemployable if the story didn't check out.
Te'o claimed to have met her in person first, and told his family they hung out in Hawaii together several times. He claims to have talked to her on the phone constantly and had contact with her family. He's lied to everyone, why should we believe him?
I want to believe he was a victim, and I will do so unless proof changes my opinion. The alternative is just sick and dark...is that really a place we've reached?
If you have never been catfished you probably don't believe it can be done. I had an online relationship with a man who said that his wife and daughter died in a car accident (I believe he said this because he was afraid if I knew the truth he wouldn't have a chance. He was a police officer in Pittsburg (that part was true). However the picture he gave me he finally confessed was of his neighbor (probably because he was much more attractive than him. I kept asking him to go on webcam with me and he always had an excuse. I kept asking him to come to my state and visit, but he always had something going on that prevented him from coming. I finally laid the hammer down and told him that either he contact me in person or tell me what exactly was going on I would never talke to him again. It turns out part of his story was true. His daughter did die in a car accident, but his wife was alive (although supposedly in a wheelchair). I asked him why he would do something so awful and he said he didn't realize how far he was into the story until I started pressuring him. This relationship had gone on for 8 months before the truth came out. I'm a college educated woman with an advanced degree. Like all catfish I took a chance that this might be the right person. I learned a valuable lesson and I'm sure this football player has also learned a valuable lesson.