Manti teo is not the guy you thought he was

[tippa irie]

and yes the girls at notre dame are that ugly where it is better to have an imaginary fake one who is dead!!I thought you had to be smart to go to school there!!!

[HILLBILLYBLACK]

Honestly, if I were a scout, this would do little to change my evaluation, if at all. The guy is what, 22, and had a lapse of judgment or someone was messing with him. If he comes clean in the team interviews, I would have no change to my evaluation at all. He didn't fire a gun past someone's head (McClain), he didn't give the cops a false name (McClain), he didn't drink and drive and kill anyone (Stallworth), he didn't have a felony dog fighting ring (Vick), he is not being questioned in anyone's death (Britt), and he didn't use PEDs that we know of (Cushing), basically nothing that will get him suspended or jailed.

That being said...he's still not worth a #3 pick overall and maybe not the best ILB in the draft (Alec Ogletree).

I have to disagree on the seriousness of this. This kid was reporting all this to news outlets, giving inspirational speeches, mentioning it in every interview, constantly "working" this story for attention and self-aggrandizement. If you don't feel this is a MAJOR lapse of character and indicative of some mental imbalance... then I just don't even know what to say to that.

[bigjunior559]

Every1 has said what needed to be said anout him I'm commenting more because I HATE LULZ, I think it's stupid as Shyt n sounds hella Homo! The End

Im with you on that one! What ever happened to lol or hahaha...

[bigjunior559]

No way do we draft "Catfish" Te'o now.

Hahaha

[RAIDERLIFE]

IMO, if indeed its true that TEO was fooled, why admitt it?? it should have went to the grave with him, or he could be saying and talking now to give excusses for his horrible play in the National championship game. He can now say his head was so screwed up ( Because he got the call a week or 2 before the game) that he couldnt focus on football....

[RaiderLakersA's]

Great, great line.

Is that yours?

-Stork

I cannot (and do not) take credit for the Catfish term, but it applies here and is the perfect moniker for Te'o.

True credit for coining the term Catfishing belongs to a guy named Yanev Schulman. Schulman is a New Yorker who was befriended by and would eventually fall in love with a hot, beautiful, hot, artistic, hot, musically gifted, hot, young woman that lived in either Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin -- I forget which -- named Angela. Or so he thought. Suffice to say, "Angela" was not who Schulman believed her to be. You'd have to see the documentary, but suffice to say that the woman behind the Angela character went to extensive lengths to convince Schulman that she really existed.

As the saying goes, the truth always comes to the light. The bubble burst after Yanev, his brother and a friend travelled to the woman's home to surprise her. "Angela" turned out to be a chubby, unattractive 40ish married woman raising two severely mentally challenged kids. In finally getting to the bottom of the mystery, Schulman speaks to Angela's very real husband, who relays to him a clever anecdote of how cods require catfish nipping at them in order to keep them active and healthy enough to be sold at the market while in transport from America to Asia.

[rubiconraider]

I cannot (and do not) take credit for the Catfish term, but it applies here and is the perfect moniker for Te'o.

True credit for coining the term Catfishing belongs to a guy named Yanev Schulman. Schulman is a New Yorker who was befriended by and would eventually fall in love with a hot, beautiful, hot, artistic, hot, musically gifted, hot, young woman that lived in either Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin -- I forget which -- named Angela. Or so he thought. Suffice to say, "Angela" was not who Schulman believed her to be. You'd have to see the documentary, but suffice to say that the woman behind the Angela character went to extensive lengths to convince Schulman that she really existed.

As the saying goes, the truth always comes to the light. The bubble burst after Yanev, his brother and a friend travelled to the woman's home to surprise her. "Angela" turned out to be a chubby, unattractive 40ish married woman raising two severely mentally challenged kids. In finally getting to the bottom of the mystery, Schulman speaks to Angela's very real husband, who relays to him a clever anecdote of how cods require catfish nipping at them in order to keep them active and healthy enough to be sold at the market while in transport from America to Asia.

hmm, that is interesting. nice job Raiderlaker.

[RaiderLakersA's]

IMO, if indeed its true that TEO was fooled, why admitt it?? it should have went to the grave with him, or he could be saying and talking now to give excusses for his horrible play in the National championship game. He can now say his head was so screwed up ( Because he got the call a week or 2 before the game) that he couldnt focus on football....

You're forgetting how the press works. Someone, somewhere was going to research Te'o and his origins for "slice of life" and other feel good articles about his life. Eventually, a reporter, if he/she is worth his salt would want to learn more about the girlfriend, her family, and possible interview them for insights in their relationship.

Nothing wrong with that. That's just good, sound journalism. We've already seen what happens when reporters don't do their due diligence. The story of the girlfriend's death is exhibit A. Instead of someone actually researching the facts, every media outlet in the nation took the story at face value and ran with it.

The minute that Te'o became a national sensation and his girlfriend became a national story, there was no way that Te'o would be able to keep quiet about it.

The First rule of celebrity: your dark secrets and private embarrassments are no longer yours to keep.

[themadstork]

I cannot (and do not) take credit for the Catfish term, but it applies here and is the perfect moniker for Te'o.

True credit for coining the term Catfishing belongs to a guy named Yanev Schulman. Schulman is a New Yorker who was befriended by and would eventually fall in love with a hot, beautiful, hot, artistic, hot, musically gifted, hot, young woman that lived in either Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin -- I forget which -- named Angela. Or so he thought. Suffice to say, "Angela" was not who Schulman believed her to be. You'd have to see the documentary, but suffice to say that the woman behind the Angela character went to extensive lengths to convince Schulman that she really existed.

As the saying goes, the truth always comes to the light. The bubble burst after Yanev, his brother and a friend travelled to the woman's home to surprise her. "Angela" turned out to be a chubby, unattractive 40ish married woman raising two severely mentally challenged kids. In finally getting to the bottom of the mystery, Schulman speaks to Angela's very real husband, who relays to him a clever anecdote of how cods require catfish nipping at them in order to keep them active and healthy enough to be sold at the market while in transport from America to Asia.

I've seen the movie...its freaky. Thats why I found it funny and wondered whether you were the first one to link Catfish and Teo.

-Stork

[bbd24]

Can't pile on here. I believe Te'o was duped, & didn't have a part in it whatsoever.

[themadstork]

Can't pile on here. I believe Te'o was duped, & didn't have a part in it whatsoever.

Then he's an idiot.

There isn't a way for him to come out of this looking good. But I have an easier time believing he's a manipulator than I do believing he's that dumb.

-Stork

[RaiderLakersA's]

I've seen the movie...its freaky. Thats why I found it funny and wondered whether you were the first one to link Catfish and Teo.

-Stork

I saw the documentary a few months back. The minute that I heard about the Te'o debacle, I immediately drew parallells to Catfish.

Disturbing, and yet hilarious at the same time. I still remember the look on Nev's face when he first saw "Angela." He looked like he vomited just a little in his own mouth. Hell, I almost threw up for him.

I'm not judging "Angela" or her family, but I understand why she created another persona for herself. Clearly, it was to escape the wretched conditions of her home life. I don't envy the challenges that she faced.

That said, I hope that she sought serious professional help afterwards. Any woman willing to include her own grade school daughter on a major deception like that is clearly dangling by the thinnest strand from being bat**** crazy.

[Oakaholic]

I think it is just weird. To lie about something like that,does he have a psychosis?? Because we don't need that here in Oakland.

If you want to take him, take him in the 3rd(someone will take him earlier),I just don't think he is worth anything more than a 3rd.

He is weird!!!! Weird doesn't win Super Bowls.

I don't know about that. Bill Romo is one weird Mo - Fo and he has some rings..

I'm just saying

[raidersteve]

I'll tell you what..he falls to the 2nd round, which is unlikely, and the Raiders trade down to get a 2nd rounder, I'd still hope the Raiders take him in the 2nd round.

The whole story sounds like it is out there, but it is still better than what meat head Rolando McClain is doing, which could get him jailed, suspended, or killed. You can't get arrested or suspended for doing what he did, whether he was duped or lied about it and it grew into a major thing. I wonder what him being Mormon and a minority at a Catholic school did to him?

[HILLBILLYBLACK]

I'm really surprised that you all see criminal activity as a more dangerous aspect of character than dissociation from reality is. At least criminals KNOW what they are doing is wrong. Even if they justify it, they know it's wrong. Dissociation from reality and inability to function within it, is a far deeper, more dangerous, and potentially destructive problem.

This whole situation brings up some really important questions for ND football and all of college football, actually. This article was mentioned on the thread in the General Discussions,and I think it's one
definitely worth reading and thinking about:
http://www.thenation.com/blog/172268/crying-manti-teo#