After weeks of being the talk of the sports world for the controversy involving a made-up girlfriend, collegiate football player Manti Te'o will tell ABC's Katie Couric his side of the story.
Couric will air an interview with the all-star Notre Dame linebacker Thursday, she confirmed via her Twitter account.
"This week, Manti and his parents, Brian and Ottilia Te'o, sit down with me to speak out for the first time on TV. There are still so many unanswered questions. What's the one question you would ask Manti Te'o?" Couric writes on her website.
Te'o, who was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy-the top honor in collegiate football-has been caught in a controversy since he was romantically linked to a woman named "Lennay Kekua," who was allegedly a beauty pageant contestant from Polynesia.
On Sept. 12, days after the death of his grandmother-and, apparently, girlfriend Kekua, who Te'o said was diagnosed with leukemia-Te'o had a torrid defensive game with 12 tackles to help lead Notre Dame to a 20-3 win against Michigan State, his heartrending story making headlines across the nation.
However, it was reported earlier this month, Kekua never existed, and the story was a hoax.
Te'o told ESPN last week that while he had tailored certain parts of the story, he denied having anything to do with the hoax that caught national attention. Te'o claimed that he met Kekua on Facebook and the revelation that she wasn't real left him "very confused."
"I wasn't faking it. I wasn't part of this," he said.
Never?
"Ever. Not ever would I be part of this," Te'o replied.
A source told USA Today that part of the reason why Te'o's parents agreed to the interview was because they wanted a chance to tell their side of the story as to how the scandal had also affected them. Teo's mother, Ottilia, says that she had spoken with Kekua about converting to Mormonism and that the family had texted her back and forth for Bible study, the source added.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
