By Elliott West
‘If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people online than I was’.
Manti Te’o
Introduction
Some of you may have already watched the recent Netflix film, The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist, a film based on the true life story of the American Football player Manti Teo. A Mormon linebacker who led his Catholic school’s football programme back to glory. However, beneath this inspirational story lies tragedy and a mountain of deceit that would rock the headlines in America in 2013. This is a media sizzler that would unfold over the period of six hours but change the lives of those involved forever. A news scoop that the sports magazine, Sports Illustrated felt the need to expose and publish.
The Sting in the Tail
This would be a period of time that Manti Te’o would never forget. One where time stood still for a few seconds. Manti received several pieces of tragic news, first that his grandmother, Annette Santiago has passed away and his 22-year-old girlfriend, Lennay Kekua had been involved in a car crash, ending up in the hospital and subsequently diagnosed with leukaemia. A crash that would leave his love in a coma.
As his girlfriend battled to regain consciousness, the American footballer would call the hospital constantly, nurses putting the phone next to her bed, a recuperating tactic that seemed to work as her breathing increased when she heard the sound of his voice. However, it was a lost cause as Lennay lost her battle with life soon afterwards.
Despite this devastating news, Manti soldiered on and on the same day went out and led the Fighting Irish to a 20-3 victory against Michigan State, a game where 12 tackles were racked up. What he didn’t know was that his relationship was actually a sham. The woman that he started messaging on social media when he was a linebacker at Notre Dame in 2011 was actually a transgendered man, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.
Catfished
‘I totally felt fear, I didn’t have courage to just be like, “This is who I am.” I didn’t expect it to blow up so quickly.
Ronaiah Tuiasosopo
As the relationship developed and communication progressed to text messaging and phone calls, this budding sportsman quickly fell in love with the person that he thought was the love of his life. This was one of those internet lie stories that you wouldn’t in a month of Sundays happen to you but it did and eventually, Te’o would find out that Lennay was actually Tuiasosopo, one of his childhood school friends. An internet hoax where he had used photographs of his classmate, Diane O’Meara to create a fake account.
When they both started talking on the phone, he enlisted his cousin Tino to make the calls. Calls that involved intimate conversations that mean the American footballer quickly fell in love with this imaginary girlfriend. Tino would also concoct a story about how Lennay had been involved in a serious car crash, been diagnosed with leukaemia and had died after going into a coma and eventually dying from leukaemia.
The Bitter Pill
This was a story where a transgendered man, who didn’t feel comfortable revealing herself to the one she fell in love with. Instead, she caused turbulence, heartbreak and fictional tragedy to a sportsman who had to completely rebuild his life after he found out the truth. This was a devious act that took advantage of generosity and kindness. Te’o had been attracted to this imaginary person, based on the fact that she was Polynesian, loved her faith and understood his Mormon beliefs.
This hoax would have continued to be played out on Facebook and Twitter accounts had Te’o not received a mysterious telephone call saying that his girlfriend wasn’t actually dead. A lie that was later exposed in an article in Deadspin a month later. Thankfully after a period of healing and Te’o found new love with Nicole, to who he is now wed to and is now pregnant with his child. Te’o has since signed a two-year contract with the Saints, before joining the Bear’s practice squad in 2020.
