Manti Teo's Dead Girlfriend is a hoax

[pbmax]

I don't know why I stick with this story but here is the latest stuff I found (was pointed to by Twitter*): http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/col...d-hoax-quotes/

Father Paul Doyle, the rector of Dillon Hall, where Te'o lived for three years, told me, "I think I had met the girlfriend. I think she had been here visiting the year before."

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/col...#ixzz2IRJ5Y2Qa

Coach Brian Kelly, defensive coordinator Bob Diaco and teammates such as Theo Riddick, Robby Toma and Cierre Wood described in painstaking detail Te'o's emotions on the day he got the call in the locker room that Kekua had died. I was told by teammates and coaches that Te'o had been on the phone with her while getting his ankles taped and for weeks after her death he stayed in close communication with her supposed family.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/col...#ixzz2IRK6fHT9

Before I went to campus, I had conducted lengthy interviews with Brian Te'o, Manti's dad, and Dalton Hilliard, a close friend from Punahou High in Honolulu who played at UCLA. Both said they were in frequent communication with Kekua; Brian Te'o told me he had received a condolence text from her after his mother died. They also spoke on the phone at length, as he did with Lennay's brothers after her "death." Hilliard said he received frequent texts and tweets from her.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/col...#ixzz2IRKFSRY0

For the interview on Sunday afternoon Te'o and I sat in the linebacker meeting room in Notre Dame's football facility and he looked straight at me as he spoke. His eyes welled up at times. The only time he didn't speak with confidence was when I asked how they met. I didn't press him, as it was clearly something he didn't want to share. I suspected they may have met online, understood he wouldn't have wanted that public and moved on.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/col...#ixzz2IRKXne6H

The guy and girl running this hoax were very committed to it. I don't keep up that same level of communication with my actual family.


* Maybe Twitter is the problem. I only *think* I am not watching a celebrity gossip show.

[mraynrand]

Don't agree with this at all. Gullibility has stayed the same. Medium has changed. I have serious doubt that the reporters of the day would have cared enough to debunk this story 30 years ago. Especially of you had to travel to California to get it.

You remember we had telephone back then, right?

[Patler]

Don't agree with this at all. Gullibility has stayed the same. Medium has changed. I have serious doubt that the reporters of the day would have cared enough to debunk this story 30 years ago. Especially of you had to travel to California to get it.

I'm not sure I agree that reporters of the past wouldn't have been interested in debunking a story like this. I think they would have, or at least would have been forced to have independent corroboration whether they wanted to or not. The news services required it. Reporters lost there jobs for having major errors in the factual basis of a story. Now, it seems everyone is more interested in speed than accuracy. Get it out there, and correct it later. There isn't the embarrassment for being wrong that there was in the past.

They did have telephones in those days, so a trip to California wouldn't have been required. The various news services also had very extensive networks of "stringers" who were independent but paid for information provided. They were often used to verify information such as this. A stringer would have relished a story like this.

[pbmax]

You remember we had telephone back then, right?

I remember something hanging from the wall with an elongated, twisted cord ...

But it would still have taken more time and more than one person. Most of Deadspin's exposé was Internet search. So vastly more people have the resources to do that story, making it more likely to happen, especially when not constrained by deadline. Blogs have a lower threshold at which they'll chase gossip. The cost of fact checking the girlfriend was higher, previously.

Plus all the hints that, as it turned out, were hiding in plain site on some social networks.

In that way, I am not comparing apples to apples. Teo's story 30 years ago would have been the girlfriend he met on vacation, not online.

[Patler]

The guy and girl running this hoax were very committed to it. I don't keep up that same level of communication with my actual family.

Sure seems that way, doesn't it? Apparently Te'o wasn't their only victim.

[pbmax]

I'm not sure I agree that reporters of the past wouldn't have been interested in debunking a story like this. I think they would have, or at least would have been forced to have independent corroboration whether they wanted to or not. The news services required it. Reporters lost there jobs for having major errors in the factual basis of a story. Now, it seems everyone is more interested in speed than accuracy. Get it out there, and correct it later. There isn't the embarrassment for being wrong that there was in the past.

They did have telephones in those days, so a trip to California wouldn't have been required. The various news services also had very extensive networks of "stringers" who were independent but paid for information provided. They were often used to verify information such as this. A stringer would have relished a story like this.

Perhaps, but the cost of debunking (rather than just fact checking an original story with her in it) would be more expensive back in the day.

There would be interest perhaps on the part of suspicious reporters, but would an editor approve the cost of the reporting for a story with that kind of risk and reward? I doubt it. I think these smaller scale stories passed right through the filter previously.

[pbmax]

I wonder if there is something special about this circumstance. Most major media outlets will not simply report that someone else is reporting something without doing their own work to advance it. But even then, the NY Times did mention this story and referred back to the South Bend Tribune. This probably reflects the differences between sports and news.

But I suspect the presence of a magazine, rather than daily newspaper lowered the threshold for skepticism.

[Patler]

Perhaps, but the cost of debunking (rather than just fact checking an original story with her in it) would be more expensive back in the day.

There would be interest perhaps on the part of suspicious reporters, but would an editor approve the cost of the reporting for a story with that kind of risk and reward? I doubt it. I think these smaller scale stories passed right through the filter previously.

Simple fact checking would have debunked it, and that would have been relatively easy. A stringer walking into the Registrars office at Stanford could easily have found out if she was a student. No body much cared about confidentiality in those days. The same checking they did for obituaries, traffic accidents, etc. could have been done by the local stringer at minimal cost.

My brother was a radio news reporter in the '60s & '70s. They often had to sit on stories, even insignificant stories of minimal interest while facts were being at least corroborated if not verified.

[Patler]

Most major media outlets will not simply report that someone else is reporting something without doing their own work to advance it.

Interesting that you bring that up. Several months ago my wife and I were discussing that very thing about another news story. The "news" we saw was that another outlet had a report about something. Maybe that way they absolve themselves for inaccuracies?

[pbmax]

Interesting that you bring that up. Several months ago my wife and I were discussing that very thing about another news story. The "news" we saw was that another outlet had a report about something. Maybe that way they absolve themselves for inaccuracies?

This is one area social media and blogs have really changed the standard. In most print editions, you still will not see them do a story (unless its too major to ignore). But on TV and on the web, they have to link to it in some way or lose eyeballs.

In this regard, at least for sports, Pro Football Talk rode this model to success. The outright recognition that they are reporting rumors, speculation and sourced material all in one spot. It was simple and genius in its timing. I found the site after literally Googling for "internet nfl rumors" after more than once reading a reporter being skeptical about those internet rumors. After more than one came to fruition, I wanted to know who had it.

[pbmax]

Simple fact checking would have debunked it, and that would have been relatively easy. A stringer walking into the Registrars office at Stanford could easily have found out if she was a student. No body much cared about confidentiality in those days. The same checking they did for obituaries, traffic accidents, etc. could have been done by the local stringer at minimal cost.

My brother was a radio news reporter in the '60s & '70s. They often had to sit on stories, even insignificant stories of minimal interest while facts were being at least corroborated if not verified.

Yes. The fact check did work, and I doubt a more reputable, daily outfit would use it. At least not without everything in quotes. SI as a magazine takes more liberties than the daily paper can.

However, to come back to debunk the story is something I don't think happens until this era.

[woodbuck27]

Woody, 'ole PR buddy, I'm in trouble and need your help.

I missed my connecting flight and I'm stuck in an airport in Spain. My luggage was already on the other plane and I just had my wallet stolen while I was in the bathroom. Everything's gone, my ID, credit cards, cash....My phone won't work since I don't have roaming service. I've got nothing but the clothes I'm wearing.

Fortunately, I found a computer terminal at the Help Desk. They are not much 'help' but at least they let me use the computer.

I'm in desperate straits here, buddy. Do you think you could send $3,500 to my PayPal account just to tide me over? I don't know who to call or what to do. Please help.

When I get back to the States, I'll pay you back, plus I'll give you a special coupon for a Power Chair from 'The SCOOTER Store'. In my case, I didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my Power Chair. Medicare and my insurance covered it all. You're Canadian though, so everythng's free up there!

" I'm in desperate straits here, buddy. Do you think you could send $3,500 to my PayPal account just to tide me over? I don't know who to call or what to do. Please help."

Now that shouts of SCAM.


Kiwon there's no 'FREE' Taxes except for the very poor ! The Medicare plan comes from the abundance of TAX's we pay.

[Patler]

This is one area social media and blogs have really changed the standard. In most print editions, you still will not see them do a story (unless its too major to ignore). But on TV and on the web, they have to link to it in some way or lose eyeballs.

In this regard, at least for sports, Pro Football Talk rode this model to success. The outright recognition that they are reporting rumors, speculation and sourced material all in one spot. It was simple and genius in its timing. I found the site after literally Googling for "internet nfl rumors" after more than once reading a reporter being skeptical about those internet rumors. After more than one came to fruition, I wanted to know who had it.

What has really surprised me is nfl.com now doing the same thing, running stories about rumors. It seems to me that the official league website should stick to fact reporting, and leave rumors to others.

[woodbuck27]

I don't really care. The guys grandma died. He was going through and emotional time. He let it go, even fed into it. If there are other red flags along with it (and we don't know.) then I start worrying. If not, if the guy is a hard worker and a well liked guy. . . . . he's 22 years old. He's in a whirlwind of fan fare and pressure from the media. The guys head is probably spinning at times.

The pure fact that death and cancer are involved here makes is seem more disgusting than it is. Really, if it was pre-meditated and used as some form of pub, it is disgusting. . . I just don't give as much credit to 22 year olds for being that friggin manipulative and crafty. It was like that 21 yr old CB who was accused of rape by the 30 year old prostitutes. Everyone hears a disgusting word and wants to blame, but lets look at some context first. The first thing I look at is the age of the person. 22 year old men = retarded. If there's a demographic that can get themselves in completely retarded situations without having the malice or conning traits it appears they have, it's a 22 year old man. The odds of a 21 year old CB conning a couple of 30-somethings is slim to none. The odds of a 22 year old LB conning the public like this, or even attempting it, is slim to none. The guy fell into it and didn't have his head enough to turn it around soon enough.

My bet is he's a fine kid.

Among too many other things that include's ** too many awards to mention for his outstanding abilities as an outstanding defensive football player:

** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manti_Te'o

Fr. this LINK:

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/149863/liars_like_lance_armstrong_manti

" Similarly, we don't know all the exact details behind the Manti T'eo mess, but it seems like the guy lied because he got swept up in the fable. Couldn't face the consequence of the truth coming out. (Not that that fear prevented it from happening!)

And really, who hasn't been in a situation like that? Even if it was a little white lie you told once, we've all been scared silly to admit the truth at one time or another ... So how can we judge these guys so harshly for doing the same very human thing -- that happened to unfold in front of cameras and entire country?

The way I see it -- it boils down to them just being flawed in a regretable but deeply human way. So the humane thing to do is to consider forgiveness."

[Kiwon]

" I'm in desperate straits here, buddy. Do you think you could send $3,500 to my PayPal account just to tide me over? I don't know who to call or what to do. Please help."

Now that shouts of SCAM.


Kiwon there's no 'FREE' Taxes except for the very poor ! The Medicare plan comes from the abundance of TAX's we pay.

Hey, man! I thought we were tight. I've been at this Help Desk for two days awaiting your response. They are starting to get annoyed with me. They've asked me to pay an extra $500 for some miscellaneous fees. This is the last time I'm passing through Spain. Please just send me $4,000 so I can get out of here!

What's that you say? 419 scam? No, no,...I'm in a Spanish airport, not a Nigerian Internet Cafe.

But, if you send me the money quickly I will introduce you to a relative of an African Prince who died. This guy needs some help getting gold coins to Canada. He'll share 25% with you if you advance him some funds to help with security and shipping costs. He's a real nice guy.