Manti Te'o Pokes Fun at Catfishing Scandal While Shaping New Story with NFL Network
In 2012, former Notre Dame and NFL linebacker Manti Te'o fell victim to a cruel catfishing scheme.
Published Aug. 22 2024, 4:56 p.m. ET
We haven't heard much about Manti Te'o in a while, have we? The former Notre Dame and NFL linebacker first gained widespread attention back in 2012 when he was revealed to be the victim of a cruel catfishing scheme.
Since then, the retired athlete largely remained out of the spotlight — but now he's back in the public eye! In August 2024, Manti Te'o made his debut as a host on NFL Network's Good Morning Football, where he even cracked a joke about the catfishing incident.
Read on to find out what the college football star said and keep scrolling to learn more about what actually happened to him.
What happened to Manti Te'o?
During his senior season at Notre Dame, Manti Te'o reported to various media outlets that both his grandmother and his girlfriend had died within hours of each other. Te'o revealed that his girlfriend, Stanford University student Lennay Kekua, was injured in a car accident and was later discovered to have leukemia.
The situation took a startling turn when it was uncovered that Lennay Kekua was not a real person but a product of Ronaiah "Naya" Tuiasosopo, who created a fake online persona to deceive Te'o. The dire situation attracted significant media attention and scrutiny, leading to widespread public and media speculation about Te'o.
Although he was a victim of the hoax, Manti Te'o faced severe criticism for his involvement in the story, which affected his reputation and NFL draft prospects.
In August 2022, the Heisman Trophy finalist's brutal experience was the focus of a Netflix documentary titled Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist.
Manti Te'o said he's avoided Googling himself since 2013 due to "obvious reasons."
On Aug. 17, 2024, Manti Te'o made his debut on NFL Network — and he couldn't resist making light of the infamous catfishing scandal. During a game of Notre Dame football trivia, one question asked for the number of tackles Te'o had in his college career.
Co-host Kyle Brandt guessed 323, and Te'o also had to take a guess himself because he hasn't Googled himself since 2013 "for obvious reasons." The studio instantly erupted in laughter at the moment.
Te'o's presence clearly resonated with his co-hosts, and he's hopeful that Good Morning Football will provide a chance to reshape his narrative.
He explained on the show, "There are so many people that reached out to me, all over the world, that said, 'Hey listen, your story really impacted me.' Now, that put a responsibility on me to say … not everybody knows the truth.
"Not everybody saw the documentary. So, what good can I do?" he added. "Well, in order for you to do any type of good, you have to have a voice that people will listen to."
Manti continued, "And what a great opportunity that NFL Network has given me to be on camera with again my NFL Network family, the Good Morning Football family, where I can be able to add some value and also have value added to me and grow my family."
