The girlfriend of former Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te'o does not exist, a Deadspin report claims. That is perhaps the most ridiculous lede I've ever written as a reporter, regardless of the story's outcome.
Through a meticulous story you can see here, Deadspin's reporters discovered that there was no record of Te'o's girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, ever existing within the Social Security Administration.
Te'o claims that his grandmother, Annette Santiago, and Kekua died within hours of each other, but the South Bend Tribune had conflicting reports about who died when. Initially, it was said that Kekua died on September 11, 2012 and Santiago died less than 24 hours later. The SSA record shows Santiago died on September 11.
The Deadspin report has many more details about the timeline for Te'o supposedly meeting his girlfriend and all the developments thereafter, including Kekua's car accident, cancer treatment and coma. It also talks more about Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who is believed to be at least a part of the hoax. Whether or not a friendly relationship between he and Te'o can be established may play a large factor in whether or not Te'o is ultimately blamed. The photos supposedly of Kekua were actually of another 22-year-old woman who knew Tuiasosopo.
Wednesday night, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick called a press conference to discuss the matter, saying that his faith in Te'o as a person was as strong as ever. Swarbrick believes Te'o was duped by someone about Kekua's existence. The Irish AD shared details about the lengths the "perpetrator" went to in order to keep the story alive. A CBS Sports report explains more.
Shortly after Christmas, Te'o reportedly got a call from the phone he believed belonged to Lennay Kekua, finding out the truth about her not being real. After Te'o told his family, they were reportedly preparing to release the information on their own after notifying Notre Dame.
There are various opinions through the sports media world on Te'o's potential involvement in the scandal. Greg Couch of Fox Sports took a more neutral stance on the matter, commenting that no one should make judgments until more evidence comes out. There is plenty of it that could surface in the near future, including Te'o's phone records. (The linebacker claimed to spend all night multiple times on the phone with Kekua while she was in a coma.) Couch admits that as a professional and also someone who profiled Te'o earlier in the college football season, he should have been more diligent in digging up more proof, but another columnist brought up a solid point.
ESPN senior columnist Gene Wojciechowski mentioned when he asked a few things of Te'o, such as photos of Kekua or contact information for her family, Te'o politely declined, explaining that the Kekua family wanted privacy. With so many moral boundaries these days being broken, it's understandable that a reporter might not push for things after such a hard moment for a family. That last point though, is one of contention among some reporters, including those at Deadspin who believed the lack of evidence should have been seen as a large red flag in the story.
Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports has a hard time believing just how much Swarbrick trusted Te'o and continues to support him. You can read Doyel's column here.
For more updates, news and opinion on Manti Te'o and this situation, check back with Latinos Post.
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