Manti Te'o's supposedly dead girlfriend is a hoax - Deadspin

[GameWinner]

http://deadspin.com/5976517/manti-te...ium=socialflow

Absolutely riveting/ridiculous story.

Did you enjoy the uplifiting story, the tale of a man who responded to adversity by becoming one of the top players of the game? If so, stop reading.
Manti Te'o did lose his grandmother this past fall. Annette Santiago died on Sept. 11, 2012, at the age of 72, according to Social Security Administration records in Nexis. But there is no SSA record there of the death of Lennay Marie Kekua, that day or any other. Her passing, recounted so many times in the national media, produces no obituary or funeral announcement in Nexis, and no mention in the Stanford student newspaper.

Nor is there any report of a severe auto accident involving a Lennay Kekua. Background checks turn up nothing. The Stanford registrar's office has no record that a Lennay Kekua ever enrolled. There is no record of her birth in the news. Outside of a few Twitter and Instagram accounts, there's no online evidence that Lennay Kekua ever existed.

The photographs identified as Kekua—in online tributes and on TV news reports—are pictures from the social-media accounts of a 22-year-old California woman who is not named Lennay Kekua. She is not a Stanford graduate; she has not been in a severe car accident; and she does not have leukemia. And she has never met Manti Te'o.

[ixcuincle]

Yeah, As I said in the other NCAA football thread, it's sickening.

It is deadspin...but the facts they have put out there are also solid. They are putting their reputation on the line. And they seem to have checked out, by my standards. But, reviewing other internet sources, some people are still skeptical of this article. For me...the article states that there is no SSN record, that the person in question never existed, never enrolled at Stanford...it was all a lie. But why now? Why wasn't this discovered earlier?

Why did he do this? For publicity. What a clown.

[skinsfan_1215]

I imagine we'll find out a lot in the next day or two. Not jumping to any conclusions, but man, huge WTF if this is true.

[ixcuincle]

We'll see what Te'O has to say about this. After all, he was the one crying and moaning on national TV and the MSM about how sad this was. If this is true, the nerve of him to play with our emotions like that. *****.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

Yeah, As I said in the other NCAA football thread, it's sickening.

It is deadspin...but the facts they have put out there are also solid. They are putting their reputation on the line. And they seem to have checked out, by my standards. But, reviewing other internet sources, some people are still skeptical of this article. For me...the article states that there is no SSN record, that the person in question never existed, never enrolled at Stanford...it was all a lie. But why now? Why wasn't this discovered earlier?

Why did he do this? For publicity. What a clown.

I only skimmed the article, and it could all be accurate, but I tend to think this is bad reporting and nothing more.

But, I guess we'll find out real soon because, as you said, Deadspin really put themselves out there. Someone is a clown for sure.

[soljaofjesus]

holy smokes .... if true I wouldn't even draft him. Period. Who am I kidding, I'd draft him in the 5th lol . I'll hold conclusions until later, but man the article seems so detailed and well put. I hope its not true but if it is.... Man

[WALEOVECHKIN]

The whole ending is what got me, using a different persons pics on her twitter. Tuisassappo's involvement, just a really weird story. Te'o's got some explaining to do

[soljaofjesus]

WOWWW!!!! GO LOOK UP @LennayKay on twitter. She just responded to his tweet from NOV 6 ... THE HOAX IS REAL!! WTF!!!! Her twitter account just responded to his tweet 3 minutes ago .... I saved it and I'm going to upload it now ...

---------- Post added January-16th-2013 at 10:14 PM ----------

[WALEOVECHKIN]

It's real, ND beat writer:

#NotreDame statement says on Dec. 26, coaches informed by Manti Te'o and parents that he was "victim of what appears to be a hoax."

EDIT:

Notre Dame Statement: Manti Te’o

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.

Dennis Brown
University Spokesman | Assistant Vice President

[Tulane Skins Fan]

WOWWW!!!! GO LOOK UP @LennayKay on twitter. She just responded to his tweet from NOV 6 ... THE HOAX IS REAL!! WTF!!!! Her twitter account just responded to his tweet 3 minutes ago .... I saved it and I'm going to upload it now ...[COLOR="Gold"]

What does that mean? I don't get it?

[No Excuses]

No one is that ****ing dumb. He was in on it.

[The Evil Genius]

It's real, ND beat writer:

#NotreDame statement says on Dec. 26, coaches informed by Manti Te'o and parents that he was "victim of what appears to be a hoax."

EDIT:

Notre Dame Statement: Manti Te’o

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.

Dennis Brown
University Spokesman | Assistant Vice President

He was the victim of a hoax is quite different than he did not nothing to end a hoax that, quite frankly, benefitted him.

I suspect the latter is more in line with this story.

[visionary]

https://www.facebook.com/NDFootball/...53537038009180

Notre Dame Statement: Manti Te’o

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.

[StillUnknown]

No one is that ****ing dumb. He was in on it.

Notre Dame's statement doesn't pass the smell test.

[I_Bleed_B&G]

Wait didn't it say in the story that he met her in Cali? He has to be in on it. No ****ing way anyone would be that stupid