Manti Te'o: Hoax or Lier?

Once again we are faced with yet ANOTHER athlete falling from grace. Now, before I go on, Manti Te'o is innocent until proven otherwise, but the story and facts that have come out today are truly reprehensible!

An article at DEADSPIN.com   that Manti Te’o’s Dead Girlfriend, Lennay Kekua who was 22 years old and who supossidly had been in a serious car accident in California, was then diagnosed with leukemia while being treated at the hospital for her injuries, then who dies right before or just after Manti's grandmother who passed away in Hawaii, the Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax!

Now Manti Te'o did lose his grandmother this past fall. Her name was Annette Santiago and she died on Sept. 11, 2012, at the age of 72. BUT, as Deadspin has reported,"There is no SSA record there of the death of Lennay Marie Kekua, that day or any other. Photos of her online are NOT Kekua. There is no record of a car accident.

Supposedly she tweeted to him with the #Twitter A/c @lovalovaloveYOU A Google search reveals this profile:

which has since change! Remember folks, what you post on-line, STAYS ONLINE! There are some 92 posts by this account which she or someone has deleted from there twitter A/C. Manti Te'o #Twitter A/C @MTeo_5   is following some 146 people and she or this account is NOT one of them.

Another tweet from this accout is from March 9, 2012:

  She changed her account to @LennayKay 

 

Now it's changed to @LoveMSMK and the account has been deleted!

Has Manti Te'O been the victim of a elaborate Hoax? If so, what was the purpose of the Hoax? What did the people want from Manti?  When did Manti find out about it and why didn't he now or then contact the police?

Was Manti in on this elaborate scheme to drum up publicity, sort of a "RUDY" Ruettiger Notre Dame figure to help him in gaining popularity and attention thus getting more money from an NFL team? 

STATEMENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME:

On Dec. 26, Notre Dame coaches were informed by Manti Te'o and his parents that Manti had been the victim of what appears to be a hoax in which someone using the fictitious name Lennay Kekua apparently ingratiated herself with Manti and then conspired with others to lead him to believe she had tragically died of leukemia. The University immediately initiated an investigation to assist Manti and his family in discovering the motive for and nature of this hoax. While the proper authorities will continue to investigate this troubling matter, this appears to be, at a minimum, a sad and very cruel deception to entertain its perpetrators. 

STATEMENT FROM MANTI TE'O

"This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online. We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her.

"To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating. It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother's death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life. I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about her just makes me sick.

"I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been. In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. 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. Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I'm looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL draft." 

For me it's hard to believe ANY Athlete nowadays! As the story develops and the entire story is known will Manti Te'O just be another one of the many high profile figures that have fallen from grace and now beg us for a second chance to make even more money at our expense!!

 

Lance Armstrong Oprah Winfrey Interview Details

AN @AP source says Lance Armstrong confessed to Oprah Winfrey during an interview Monday January 14, 2013 that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France.  Orah said; "We were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers," she said, adding that "he did not come clean in the manner that I expected." She didn't elaborate.

A group of about 10 close friends and advisers to Armstrong left a downtown Austin hotel about three hours after they arrived Monday afternoon for the taping. Among them were Armstrong attorneys Tim Herman and Sean Breen, along with Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's longtime agent, manager and business partner. All declined comment entering and exiting the session.

Soon afterward, @Oprah Winfrey tweeted: "Just wrapped with @lancearmstrong More than 2½ hours. He came READY!"

The interview is to be broadcast Thursday on Winfrey's network.

Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven  Tour de France victories from 1999 to 2005,which was a record by any cyclist, last year in the wake of a voluminous U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that portrayed him as a ruthless competitor, willing to go to any lengths to win the prestigious race. USADA chief executive Travis Tygart labeled the doping regimen allegedly carried out by the U.S. Postal Service team that Armstrong once led, "The most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

It is a fact that Armstrong has NEVER failed any of his 500 drug test and for more than a decade, Armstrong has denied he used performance-enhancing drugs but after a federal investigation of the cyclist was dropped without charges being brought last year, USADA stepped in with an investigation of its own. The agency deposed 11 former teammates and accused Armstrong of masterminding a complex and brazen drug program that included steroids, blood boosters and a range of other performance-enhancers.

Before sitting down with Oprah, Lance visited the staff at  his Livestrong cancer foundation. Armstrong addressed the staff Monday and said, "I'm sorry." as the disgraced cyclist choked up and several employees cried during the session.

Armstrong apologized for letting the staff down and putting Livestrong at risk but he did not make a direct confession to the group about using banned drugs. He said he would try to restore the foundation's reputation, and urged the group to continue fighting for the charity's mission of helping cancer patients and their families.

His story of  fighting back from testicular cancer to reaching the heights of winning not one but an UNREPRESENTED seven Tour de Frances was a story straight out of a Hollywood script. What was once an inspiration to so many has, as has been all too frequently, turned ugly and disgraceful as we yet again watch one of what we thought was a TRUE HERO and INSPIRATION turn out to be just another lier and cheater.

Got me!!! I too was caught up in the pride of what this America in Paris did together with the admiration of what he had to overcome. He fooled me as well as millions around the USA and the world. More importantly he cheated, not just us all and his competitors, but himself out of true victory, self sacrifice and fair competition over dishonesty, chemicals and the ultimate selfishness to WIN at ANY COST no matter what you have to do!

Does he deserve forgiveness?  A second chance? Redemption?

Of course I ask you this, How many others do the same thing and never get in suspicion getting away with what Lance almost did!!!