Not since angst-ridden middle daughter Jan Brady manufactured an imaginary boyfriend named George Glass has there been such a hub bub over the mysterious dating habits of another.
Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o had been very publically talking about his California-based girlfriend Lennay Kekua. The Heisman Trophy runner-up was dating the woman through a serious car crash and her diagnosis with leukemia. She died last autumn. Her life and spirit helped the athlete through the football season, he says. He soared through the season and sports insiders say the linebacker will be a first-round pick in the NFL draft this spring.
The catch?
New reports have found that the long-suffering and now dead girlfriend does not exist. She never did.
Journalists published an article this week, saying they found no sign anywhere of Kekua and suggesting that Te’o knew she was imaginary. Te’o and the Notre Dame athletic staff say the innocent player is a victim of an elaborate hoax.
It’s called catfishing, pretending to be someone else online by using fake information or photos. Usually, the perpetrator or perpetrators do this to set someone up romantically.
It doesn’t matter whether Te’o knew the woman was phony or participated fully in a ruse. Either way, the story is titillating because the real question is why?
If he knew there was no such person, then why pretend to have a girlfriend in California? If he didn’t know Kekua wasn’t real, why would anyone set up such an elaborate scheme to fool him?
On the DL chimes in on the issue and echoes my questions.
“Whatever stance you take on the Manti Te’o story, it’s still an incredibly sad situation. Either way you have people misrepresenting themselves to capitalize on the emotions of others. If he was truly misled, then some sick person out there found pleasure in deliberately causing such heartache. If he was in on it, then he played to the public’s emotions and desires to believe in what appeared to be a genuine love story. Overall, it’s a sad reminder of how digital and detached our world has become and a reality check that people aren’t always who they say they are.”
No matter what you think or assume about the tale of the football player and the imaginary girlfriend, it’s definitely a story to ponder.
My friend Clarissa has some down to earth words of wisdom for Te’o.
Te’o raises his hand during the third quarter of Notre Dame’s BCS National Championship game against Alabama on January 7.
“It’s ok Manti, your relationship was probably more rewarding than a few of my relationships with real people put together.”
Sources:
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/16/sport/manti-teo-controversy/index.html
Wheris reality? It is all in one’s mind. But the truth is the truth, in light and darkness.
It’s not totally unbelievable, I once had a friend who faked a boyfriend just so she could fit in with the rest of her friends. Besides who hasn’t faked a relationship, I’ve done it several times to keep a certain person from constantly asking me out. However, thanks to social media these days, it makes it easier to sell.
Yay! Thx Sip and Go Girl.
Been here a couple of times and actually was just here reading some. interesting and insightfull. interesting to see things thru a woman’s eyes, and a bit upsetting the way some guys act and react. don’t know if i am old school, come froma different era, or just have a different mindset than most men