In a bizarre tale that captivated the sports world, a star linebacker at Notre Dame found himself entangled in an intricate web of deception and emotional manipulation. When Manti Te'o started talking to Lennay Kekua online, they quickly bonded over their Samoan culture, their faith, and their connection to football. Texts turned to phone calls, and Manti found himself falling for her. But then, in September of 2012, he got a call letting him know that Lennay had died of the leukemia she'd been battling. Manti was heartbroken, but he decided to use his grief to fuel his football game, and he became unstoppable. Everyone knew what he'd gone through, and everyone was rooting for him. It seemed like such an inspirational story. That is, until he, and the entire world, discovered it was all a lie.

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Sources

University of Notre Dame

The New York Times | As ESPN Debated, The Manti Te'o Story Slipped Away

Wikipedia | Manti Te'o

Manti Te’o: A Linebacker, A Made-up Girlfriend and a National Hoax (Lateef Mungin and Steve Almasy)

Yahoo Sports | A Decade Later, The Real Tragedy of The Manti Te’o Story is How a Victim Was Turned Into the Butt of a Joke (Dan Wetzel)

Deadspin | Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax (Tim Burke and Jack Dickey)

Washington Post | Manti Te’o, Victim of a Catfishing Hoax, Hopes He’s Still an Inspiration (Cindy Boren)

Daily Mail | Manti Te'o hoaxer agrees to do voice of 'girlfriend Lennay Kekua' during interview where he explains his struggle to 'recover from homosexuality'

Dr. Phil | Exclusive: The Man behind the Manti Te'o Girlfriend Hoax

Netflix | Untold The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist

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