Vetting Manti.  That's what a very good journalist would attempt and Mr. Burke falls into that category.

It would have been nice to see similar vetting of a guy who said he had a relationship with a woman and wrote it in a book--but that relationship was a phony.  Years after the fact  we learn that the woman really didn't exist but was rather a composite of many women.  

So all the questions that are being asked of Mr. Teo should have been brought up by responsible journalists in this other case.  However, since the outcome may have been likely detrimental to their "guy", stories like this were not pursued and the public at large never learned.

Manti for President!

Whoops, better first change that religion. 

 

This is for Jerry86, here is another annoymous teammate.  Like I said above, no teammate who wants to stay in school or on the team is going to come public with this sham.  But they all know it.  Funny, Coach Kelly seems real quiet.

People have to admit it's at least plausible Te'o was hoaxed, at least for a whole.

Te'o had a pretend girlfriend cause he knew if he had a real girlfriend Brent Musberger would be hitting on her.

Seriously though, I think Te'o is really in need of a REAL shrink.

Te'o apparently did an off-the-camera interview with ESPN, telling his side of the story. He claims Tuiasosopo has confessed to him. He also claims that he lied to his parents, and others about not ever having met Kekua, and that when he tried to Skype, the picture was always blocked. Additionally he says that the relationship was not continuous, but off again-on again, and that after his grandmother's death the girl reached out to him, and he didn't want to be bothered, so they fought, and then later was told she had died. He also claims that the Dec. 6th call was not actually a call with a confession, but a call trying to resume the relationship, which was very confusing to him.

The big question is, where is Tuiasosopo, and why hasn't he come forward to tell his version? Where is this alleged girl that made the calls? The second biggest unresolved question is, did Te'o provide his phone records to show all these purported conversations?


The best explanation for Tuiasosopo's silence is probably #5, and that he, too, has returned to Venus. BTW, they may not have forgotten to use the neuralizer on Mauia - I'm pretty sure neuralizers don't work on fullbacks.

Sadly my take is that he's probably out trying to sign a movie contract before he speaks.  As for the girl, where is she? If she exists, I would think she would want to speak up, and tell the truth.

May we dance with yo' dates?

More detailed account of Manti's interview from ABC.

I thought a huge rule in journalism was to write about stuff that people care about? If you find no interest in it and think it is a total waste of time, how could he have done "good work" in this case?

Indeed Burke did a good job of research here, but it is also true that he hit on a hot-button of societal significance, the problem of knowing just exactly who you are really dealing with in an internet relationship. As a result the story is spawning a lot of followup articles related to the whole topic of internet relationships. Here are a couple samples:
Crazy Internet Relationships
In the wake of Te'o

I predict that Burke's work will have legs that long outlive the actual details, and it will become a frequently cited example of the dangers of internet relationships, and how not to have one.

By the way, I don't particularly care about the specific people in Burke's article. I do care about the effect that internet relationships have on society, and it is clear that it is a very, very different world out there that it was when I was his age, and not necessarily for the better. I do hope that the story helps some young people avoid making similar mistakes, and so I do think it is an important article that extends well beyond the bounds of the specific people involved. While I haven't ever used any of the social networking sites, I do have kids, and so a little understanding of them is good for me to have.

Not a hater at all on this article, I just didn't understand Monroe's comment and was seeking clarification.

donuts is both a passive/aggressive case and a case otherwise.

can't distinguish between my compliment to a good job done by one of OUr own and the fact that I don't care about the topic?  might be slightly inconsistent.  but anyone who wasn't looking to be arse would understand.

i'm tired of this donuts' seeking to provoke, misread what people write, and generally being negative.

why doesn't he try making good thoughts instead of irking away at what others post.

Value comes and goes, like the market for classic cars.  Also I could see a journalism professor concerned for students financial future stressing the importance of focusing on what there in is interest.

C'mon L.C., America is an idiot for paying any attention to this. Peoples must have something better to do with their time.

All kidding aside, now that I re-read the original article, I am a little disappointed in the tone at times. The "80% sure Te'o was in on it" part, even if it is just a quote, makes me wish it was a bit more neutral and just reported what was known as facts at the time. Reading the article again knowing what we know now sure seems to make Te'o appear to have his hands dirty.Oh well.

The funniest thing I think is when people are saying this will kill his draft stock. So many other questionable characters have been drafted high, so I doubt an online girlfriend is going to scare NFL teams.