Notre Dame football player possible victim of cruel hoax
-
Football player possible victim of hoax Video by ktnv.com
video
(KTNV) -- Was a Notre Dame Heisman finalist a victim of a cruel hoax?
That is what some people are asking after it was revealed on the website Deadspin that a story about Manti Te'o's girlfriend dying of leukemia turned out to be a hoax.
According to the football player and university, someone used a fictitious name and established an online relationship with Te'o.
That person and others then conspired to convince Te'o that the girlfriend died.
According to CNN, shortly after the story broke, many comments online seemed to doubt that Te'o was an innocent victim.
But others have jumped to his defense and compared the situation to the young man that fell for a girl on Facebook in the 2010 documentary "Catfish."
Te'o gave a statement Wednesday afternoon to ESPN.com that read in part "To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating."
RELATED STORIES:
TMZ slideshow of people Te'oing
'Te'oing' meme goes viral on social media
Nine baffling questions in the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax -- NBC News
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.