So, the story involving Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's late 'girlfriend' looks to be an elaborate hoax.
All season, fans heard how Te'o drew inspiration from girlfriend Lennay Kekua as she battled and eventually succumbed to leukemia.
Except Lennay Kekua never existed, despite stories in the media about her life and death.
A sports website (Deadspin) even found the 22-year-old woman whose Facebook photo was used as the face of Lennay, much to her surprise.
The big question now—was Heisman finalist Te'o an accomplice or a victim?
** Deadspin thinks it has uncovered the man behind Lennay's fake Twitter account—Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, a former classmate of the woman whose photos were used without her knowledge.
And there's this:
"A friend of Ronaiah Tuiasosopo told us he was '80 percent sure' that Manti Te'o was 'in on it,' and that the two perpetrated Lennay Kekua's death with publicity in mind. According to the friend, there were numerous photos of Ronaiah Tuiasosopo and Te'o together on Tuiasosopo's now-deleted Instagram account."
Manti Te'o STATEMENT:
"This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online. We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her.
"To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating..."
** Manti is expected to address the media sometime today.
** For its part, Notre Dame said Manti Te'o has been the victim of an online hoax similar to that perpetrated in the 2010 film "Catfish" and the MTV series of the same name.
** NOTE: In December, Te'o received a phone call from his dead girlfriend's phone number – with the woman's voice he recognized as Kekua's on the other line. Allegedly, she tried to re-establish the relationship, making an excuse for why she'd faked her death.
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