Phall
Master
One of college football's most inspiring narratives of the year has been found out as a hoax. Manti Te'o played his Heisman runner-up campaign mourning the death of an imaginary girlfriend. There are no records anywhere for the name reported by a multitude of mainstream media sources.
Deadspin (a contemptible site) broke the story here; ESPN has confirmed it and Notre Dame has issued its own statement. Presently, the university is going with the angle that Te'o was "deceived" into an imaginary relationship with a malicious impostor, who broke things off by faking her death over the phone. This tale is more queer than a three-dollar bill, and Te'o will be forced to account for the lies that have been published on his behalf.
The hoax came to light by happy accident rather than journalistic due diligence, as apparently a young woman recognized a slightly-altered photo of herself that had been reprinted in the news.
There is a small chance that Manti Te'o is so mentally incompetent that he was perfectly content to carry out a romance over the phone (allegedly) with a woman he had never met in person. Perhaps he did not cosign on the elaborate courtship process published in Sports Illustrated because he did not understand it. Maybe the impostor simply grew tired of going through the motions and let him down in dramatic fashion... then never told anyone.
Much more likely: Te'o is in on the ordeal, which provides a convenient cover for homosexuality.
There isn't much point of speculation, since the details will now be poured over by media sharks. The big questions are: what will the narrative be? An aggrieved homosexual's tragic facade, or something with a tone of a bit more accountability? Will he be drafted? Will he now be praised at all opportunities going forward, and has this "victim" essentially gamed the system into a path down Easy Street?
Deadspin (a contemptible site) broke the story here; ESPN has confirmed it and Notre Dame has issued its own statement. Presently, the university is going with the angle that Te'o was "deceived" into an imaginary relationship with a malicious impostor, who broke things off by faking her death over the phone. This tale is more queer than a three-dollar bill, and Te'o will be forced to account for the lies that have been published on his behalf.
The hoax came to light by happy accident rather than journalistic due diligence, as apparently a young woman recognized a slightly-altered photo of herself that had been reprinted in the news.
There is a small chance that Manti Te'o is so mentally incompetent that he was perfectly content to carry out a romance over the phone (allegedly) with a woman he had never met in person. Perhaps he did not cosign on the elaborate courtship process published in Sports Illustrated because he did not understand it. Maybe the impostor simply grew tired of going through the motions and let him down in dramatic fashion... then never told anyone.
Much more likely: Te'o is in on the ordeal, which provides a convenient cover for homosexuality.
There isn't much point of speculation, since the details will now be poured over by media sharks. The big questions are: what will the narrative be? An aggrieved homosexual's tragic facade, or something with a tone of a bit more accountability? Will he be drafted? Will he now be praised at all opportunities going forward, and has this "victim" essentially gamed the system into a path down Easy Street?