Manti Te’o documentary (Netflix)

[05_never_again]

You shouldn't feel bad for him. He "got screwed" because he decided to embellish the story, tell it to any reporter that would listen, and soaked in the adulation of yet another Notre Dame myth. Whether or not he was actually duped (and I'm still not convinced 10 years later), he told so many lies that were of his own making, not the scammer's. And as for folks asking if he was gay, those folks were NFL personnel guys rather than reporters. And frankly, it's a totally fair question to ask.

Part of me wants to think he was in on it the whole time, but that doesn't make great sense because why carry on the charade with Tuiasosopo when he could have just fabricated Lennay Kekua without him. Tuiasosopo said he created Lennay Kekua in order to have a "relationship" with Te'o. If that is the case, then why did he "kill" this fake person through which he was having the relationship? That part of it has never made sense to me.

As hard as it is for me to believe that someone in his position was catfished, the most likely scenario seems like he was genuinely duped initially, but then went along with it out of embarrassment/the fact he had told the media all about it. I think it is entirely possible he knew she was fake well before he claims he found out, which was late December 2012. The Deadspin article came out a few weeks after that. He said didn't go to her "funeral" because he claimed she told him she didn't want him to miss a game. Was it actually because he knew she didn't exist? If so, then he knew she was fake in September, right in the middle of the season and his Heisman campaign, not late December. That does suck if he was initially tricked, but that doesn't excuse him continuing to tell a story that he knew to be false.

At the very, very least, he was disingenuous and buried the lede about the nature of his relationship with this girl. It was exclusively an online relationship, and he never actually met her, and he lied and said he had. I don't really feel sorry for him.

 

[bamawriter]

Part of me wants to think he was in on it the whole time, but that doesn't make great sense because why carry on the charade with Tuiasosopo when he could have just fabricated Lennay Kekua without him.

If all you want to do is fake tweets and FB posts you can do that on your own. If you want to be able to fake phone calls it helps to have another person on the other end of the line.

As hard as it is for me to believe that someone in his position was catfished, the most likely scenario seems like he was genuinely duped initially, but then went along with it out of embarrassment/the fact he had told the media all about it. I think it is entirely possible he knew she was fake well before he claims he found out, which was late December 2012. The Deadspin article came out a few weeks after that. He said didn't go to her "funeral" because he claimed she told him she didn't want him to miss a game. Was it actually because he knew she didn't exist? If so, then he knew she was fake in September, right in the middle of the season and his Heisman campaign, not late December. That does suck if he was initially tricked, but that doesn't excuse him continuing to tell a story that he knew to be false.

At the very, very least, he was disingenuous and buried the lede about the nature of his relationship with this girl. It was exclusively an online relationship, and he never actually met her, and he lied and said he had. I don't really feel sorry for him.

All of that is true. If he was duped he had ample reason to figure it out. Keep in mind that this chick told him that over the course of one year, despite being just out of college, she took trips to New Zealand, Dubai, Vegas, Hawaii (to Te'o's hometown, at that, but conveniently when he had no way of being able to fly home to meet her), had something else going on during every one of his away games that she otherwise would have been able to attend, had her father die, got in a car wreck that left her comatose and snapped out of it right when her family agreed to pull the plug, developed leukemia, and died the day after Te'o's beloved grandmother. And despite being relatively wealthy, her family members always contacted Te'o from what he thought was her cell phone number.

But there's more to it. Te'o has other family members, including his own father, who claimed to have met her. And it's not just that "she told him not to go the funeral," he claims to have sent white roses to a funeral that never occurred.

 

[05_never_again]

If all you want to do is fake tweets and FB posts you can do that on your own. If you want to be able to fake phone calls it helps to have another person on the other end of the line.



All of that is true. If he was duped he had ample reason to figure it out. Keep in mind that this chick told him that over the course of one year, despite being just out of college, she took trips to New Zealand, Dubai, Vegas, Hawaii (to Te'o's hometown, at that, but conveniently when he had no way of being able to fly home to meet her), had something else going on during every one of his away games that she otherwise would have been able to attend, had her father die, got in a car wreck that left her comatose and snapped out of it right when her family agreed to pull the plug, developed leukemia, and died the day after Te'o's beloved grandmother. And despite being relatively wealthy, her family members always contacted Te'o from what he thought was her cell phone number.

But there's more to it. Te'o has other family members, including his own father, who claimed to have met her. And it's not just that "she told him not to go the funeral," he claims to have sent white roses to a funeral that never occurred.

Yeah, good point about the roses. Ultimately, even if you think he was duped the whole time, he still said a bunch of stuff that he knew to be false. And it is really hard to believe he said those false things without publicity in mind.

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

I'm honestly not sure I'll watch it based on some of the comments here...why did he keep talking to the media about her "death" even though he knew she was a fake person? Just purely out of embarrassment?

He didn’t know. When he/she called and said “I’m still alive” he didn’t know what to believe. He told her to send him a picture of herself with a piece of paper with that days date on it, and standing in a very specific position. The tranny was able to make the photo happen.

I’m telling you, it’s worth a watch. The catfisher was a pro.

 

[05_never_again]

He didn’t know. When he/she called and said “I’m still alive” he didn’t know what to believe. He told her to send him a picture of herself with a piece of paper with that days date on it, and standing in a very specific position. The tranny was able to make the photo happen.

I’m telling you, it’s worth a watch. The catfisher was a pro.

The dude was able to make himself look exactly like "Lennay Kekua" in the photo he sent back?

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

The dude was able to make himself look exactly like "Lennay Kekua" in the photo he sent back?

Just watch it!!!

But no, he actually knew the girl whose photos he was ripping off to make the fake profile. He called her and made up a story about a sick friend and had her pose that way saying it would lift his spirits. She thought she was doing it to support someone in the hospital, she had no idea.

 

[GrayWaterCanine]

Part of me wants to think he was in on it the whole time, but that doesn't make great sense because why carry on the charade with Tuiasosopo when he could have just fabricated Lennay Kekua without him. Tuiasosopo said he created Lennay Kekua in order to have a "relationship" with Te'o. If that is the case, then why did he "kill" this fake person through which he was having the relationship? That part of it has never made sense to me.

As hard as it is for me to believe that someone in his position was catfished, the most likely scenario seems like he was genuinely duped initially, but then went along with it out of embarrassment/the fact he had told the media all about it. I think it is entirely possible he knew she was fake well before he claims he found out, which was late December 2012. The Deadspin article came out a few weeks after that. He said didn't go to her "funeral" because he claimed she told him she didn't want him to miss a game. Was it actually because he knew she didn't exist? If so, then he knew she was fake in September, right in the middle of the season and his Heisman campaign, not late December. That does suck if he was initially tricked, but that doesn't excuse him continuing to tell a story that he knew to be false.

At the very, very least, he was disingenuous and buried the lede about the nature of his relationship with this girl. It was exclusively an online relationship, and he never actually met her, and he lied and said he had. I don't really feel sorry for him.

I still cannot figure out exactly what happened. The one thing I have decided, however, is that any scenario that exists demonstrates that Manti Te'o is one of the dumbest people on this planet.

 

[CardsNVols]

That was such a weird story when it happened, although as I recall it, not very compelling. Certainly not enough to intrigue my appetite for a documentary.

At the time, it seemed like he was just full of it and playing it for media hype. I don't doubt that it started off as a genuine catfish situation, but I cannot believe it went very far beyond that without him knowing something was up.

And from reading these comments, it doesn't seem like there's much in this doc that would alter my opinion on that.

 

[volfanhill]

You shouldn't feel bad for him. He "got screwed" because he decided to embellish the story, tell it to any reporter that would listen, and soaked in the adulation of yet another Notre Dame myth. Whether or not he was actually duped (and I'm still not convinced 10 years later), he told so many lies that were of his own making, not the scammer's. And as for folks asking if he was gay, those folks were NFL personnel guys rather than reporters. And frankly, it's a totally fair question to ask.

Katie Couric works for which NFL team?

Katie Couric asks Manti Te'o if he's gay

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

There is just no way a reasonably good-looking, elite, well-known football player for Notre freaking Dame was genuinely fooled by someone impersonating a girl online. It isn't like he had limited options.

You’re underestimating the effect that a sheltered religious upbringing can have on a young man. Also, he was a fish out of water at Notre Dame surrounded by white Catholic girls. “Lennay” on the other hand had a very similar background that he connected with. The relationship really started when she told him her father was ill and he started checking in on him every day. Some people have a strong helper disposition and that kind of scenario is like relational catnip for them, whether it’s a friendship or something potentially romantic.

 

[bamawriter]

Katie Couric works for which NFL team?

Katie Couric asks Manti Te'o if he's gay

She wasn't a reporter either, so what is your point with this one example? Te'o stopped talking to the actual press after this story came out. He got paid to do a talk show with questions agreed upon in advance.

 

[Cosmo Kramer]

Going to watch it with my girlfriend!

Congrats on the Blow Up Doll.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

I'm honestly not sure I'll watch it based on some of the comments here...why did he keep talking to the media about her "death" even though he knew she was a fake person? Just purely out of embarrassment?

You need to watch it man. All these judgmental attitudes on here are just more wreckage from the f-ed up way the media covered all of it. Teo was an incredibly naive dude from a very different (Mormon Polynesian) culture that is very foreign to most of us which promotes a sort of unquestioning obedience. If somebody watches that documentary and comes out of it without some sympathy for Teo as a human being they are a complete P.O.S. or have some other agenda, like these Bama fans on here who are probably just upset the story came out a few days after the national championship game and sucked all the oxygen out of the room and took the attention away from their team's win and their little midget Bear.

 

[05_never_again]

You need to watch it man. All these judgmental attitudes on here are just more wreckage from the f-ed up way the media covered all of it. Teo was an incredibly naive dude from a very different (Mormon Polynesian) culture that is very foreign to most of us which promotes a sort of unquestioning obedience. If somebody watches that documentary and comes out of it without some sympathy for Teo as a human being they are a complete P.O.S. or have some other agenda, like these Bama fans on here who are probably just upset the story came out a few days after the national championship game and sucked all the oxygen out of the room and took the attention away from their team's win and their little midget Bear.

I will try and watch it I guess, but again, I find it hard to have a lot of sympathy for him because he lied about/exaggerated a bunch of things, likely for Heisman-related publicity reasons, even if he was completely duped.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

I will try and watch it I guess, but again, I find it hard to have a lot of sympathy for him because he lied about/exaggerated a bunch of things, likely for Heisman-related publicity reasons, even if he was completely duped.

Alot of the "he lied" stuff is just shiddy news reporting. The Deadspin guy points that out in the documentary, how it was like a game of telephone where the stories piggybacked off each other and had all these varying, incorrect details, so bear in mind that everything you've heard about this from the news media was probably wrong as to what was said and by whom and when. The Deadspin guys who broke the story and Dr. Phil who did voice analysis on the trans guy/girl who perpetrated it seem satisfied the dude was just duped and they have looked into it more than anyone and have zero motivation to be kind to Teo if it were otherwise. Teo was kind of a sheltered kid brought in a very religious Mormon household and you add to that the Polynesian culture that kids shut their mouth and do what they are told and it becomes more understandable that he was especially unsavvy. Football was pretty much all he did. I've practiced law for 20 years and am as jaded and skeptical as they come but it was s pretty enlightening documentary. I've made plenty of jokes about it in the past but seeing how this kid was victimized by this mentally ill sociopath made me sad and mad. I won't be joking about Teo anymore.

 

[05_never_again]

Alot of the "he lied" stuff is just shiddy news reporting. The Deadspin guy points that out in the documentary, how it was like a game of telephone where the stories piggybacked off each other and had all these varying, incorrect details, so bear in mind that everything you've heard about this from the news media was probably wrong as to what was said and by whom and when. The Deadspin guys who broke the story and Dr. Phil who did voice analysis on the trans guy/girl who perpetrated it seem satisfied the dude was just duped and they have looked into it more than anyone and have zero motivation to be kind to Teo if it were otherwise. Teo was kind of a sheltered kid brought in a very religious Mormon household and you add to that the Polynesian culture that kids shut their mouth and do what they are told and it becomes more understandable that he was especially unsavvy. Football was pretty much all he did. I've practiced law for 20 years and am as jaded and skeptical as they come but it was s pretty enlightening documentary. I've made plenty of jokes about it in the past but seeing how this kid was victimized by this mentally ill sociopath made me sad and mad. I won't be joking about Teo anymore.

But it isn't though. I'm not talking about stuff the media said; I'm talking about stuff Te'o said himself. He said he met her. It was disingenuous of him to neglect to mention that this was purely an online relationship. He said he sent white roses to her funeral; the funeral never occurred. His dad (and I think other family members of his) claimed multiple times he had met the girl, before eventually saying that they had not.

It's a fact that even if he was 100% fooled by the scammer, he lied about and exaggerated details of the story, likely for publicity.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

But it isn't though. I'm not talking about stuff the media said; I'm talking about stuff Te'o said himself. He said he met her. It was disingenuous of him to neglect to mention that this was purely an online relationship. He said he sent white roses to her funeral; the funeral never occurred. His dad (and I think other family members of his) claimed multiple times he had met the girl, before eventually saying that they had not.

It's a fact that even if he was 100% fooled by the scammer, he lied about and exaggerated details of the story, likely for publicity.

Watch it my friend. It's all covered.

 

[bamawriter]

Watch it my friend. It's all covered.

No, it isn't. When was his dad pressed on telling the South Bend Tribune that he'd met her? When was Te'o pressed on "locking eyes with her" at Stanford? When was Te'o pressed on the white roses? There is a brief, unspecific mention of "exaggeration." That's it.

 

[walkenvol]

I'm with you. He was a mormon kid dropped into stardom. I don't think he had any clue what was going on.

Everyone has an opinion it appears, but I watched the documentary and remember when it happened and share this take. He was from a very isolated town in Hawaii with ND being his first exposure to the big world. He tried to live his life on the principles of his faith and was duped on the internet. Once he started figuring it out he was so caught up in the media story that he couldn’t see a respectable way out. I imagine he thought if he could get through the draft the whole story would be forgotten. I feel sorry for him because it appeared the story shook his foundation and affected his play on the field and his earning power. He didn’t cheat, steal, or take PED’s. Silly teenager type pranks cost him so much yet he still forgave the guy who duped him. I think it’s a really good watch.

 

[walkenvol]

But it isn't though. I'm not talking about stuff the media said; I'm talking about stuff Te'o said himself. He said he met her. It was disingenuous of him to neglect to mention that this was purely an online relationship. He said he sent white roses to her funeral; the funeral never occurred. His dad (and I think other family members of his) claimed multiple times he had met the girl, before eventually saying that they had not.

It's a fact that even if he was 100% fooled by the scammer, he lied about and exaggerated details of the story, likely for publicity.

Why are you so obsessed that Manti lied about being duped? What would you have done in his situation? He was likely imagining all the extreme embarrassment for himself, his family and ND if this scam perpetrated on him was exposed. You’re a cynical and hardened person if you can’t find any sympathy for him.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Everyone has an opinion it appears, but I watched the documentary and remember when it happened and share this take. He was from a very isolated town in Hawaii with ND being his first exposure to the big world. He tried to live his life on the principles of his faith and was duped on the internet. Once he started figuring it out he was so caught up in the media story that he couldn’t see a respectable way out. I imagine he thought if he could get through the draft the whole story would be forgotten. I feel sorry for him because it appeared the story shook his foundation and affected his play on the field and his earning power. He didn’t cheat, steal, or take PED’s. Silly teenager type pranks cost him so much yet he still forgave the guy who duped him. I think it’s a really good watch.

I don't care what people end up believing after they watch it, I agree that people should watch it though, because you get a more thorough and rounded perspective than you did from the news media in 2012, that's for sure. If people watch it and still have no sympathy for the guy, they're entitled to that opinion, even though I think you have to be a Grade A azzhole not to, and/or a Bammer upset that the story knocked their championship off the front page.

 

[05_never_again]

Why are you so obsessed that Manti lied about being duped? What would you have done in his situation? He was likely imagining all the extreme embarrassment for himself, his family and ND if this scam perpetrated on him was exposed. You’re a cynical and hardened person if you can’t find any sympathy for him.

I can't put myself in his shoes, but I also can't envision myself having a supposed attachment like that in the first place with a person I'd never met, and I'd probably be too embarrassed to tell the media about my obsession with an online girlfriend I'd never actually met in person.

I've already said that insofar as he was genuinely duped I feel sorry for him. However, it is also a fact that even if he was 100% duped, he fabricated and exaggerated details of the "relationship" when he talked to the media, and I think it did it with an eye towards his Heisman campaign. If you want to talk about cynicism, now that's pretty cynical. Insofar as he did that, I have absolutely zero sympathy for him.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

I can't put myself in his shoes, but I also can't envision myself having a supposed attachment like that in the first place with a person I'd never met, and I'd probably be too embarrassed to tell the media about my obsession with an online girlfriend I'd never actually met in person.

I've already said that insofar as he was genuinely duped I feel sorry for him. However, it is also a fact that even if he was 100% duped, he fabricated and exaggerated details of the "relationship" when he talked to the media, and I think it did it with an eye towards his Heisman campaign. If you want to talk about cynicism, now that's pretty cynical. Insofar as he did that, I have absolutely zero sympathy for him.

What myself and I believe Walken also are saying is it's very much worth watching. You may end up with the exact same opinion, but regardless it will be a more informed opinion.

 

[K-town Vol Fan]

Just finished watching it. I dont think there's any chance he was in on it. It basically ruined his life. I do think due to his background and lack of previous relationships he was too quick to label Lennay his GF. I also think labeling her his GF helped his Heisman campaign, and I think that influenced his decision to use that label.

I wonder how this has effected his faith. He hated ND. He didn't want to go there. He wanted to go to USC all along but some ND fan in the church said "go to ND" and Manti just went because he thought it was God's plan. THIS was God's plan? Ruin your life, ruin your career, make you a literal joke forever. Wouldn't sit well with me.

If he has just followed his heart and went to USC none of this would have ever happened.

 

[walkenvol]

Just finished watching it. I dont think there's any chance he was in on it. It basically ruined his life. I do think due to his background and lack of previous relationships he was too quick to label Lennay his GF. I also think labeling her his GF helped his Heisman campaign, and I think that influenced his decision to use that label.

I wonder how this has effected his faith. He hated ND. He didn't want to go there. He wanted to go to USC all along but some ND fan in the church said "go to ND" and Manti just went because he thought it was God's plan. THIS was God's plan? Ruin your life, ruin your career, make you a literal joke forever. Wouldn't sit well with me.

If he has just followed his heart and went to USC none of this would have ever happened.

Talking religion on the internet is rarely a good idea IMO, but the God Manti and family believe in doesn’t promise all his followers sunshine and unicorns. Tough times can build character.