LOL welcome to the Internet bro! You have lots to learn. People make snap judgements all the time. That's life. That is why it's called an opinion. Are you really surprised that happens? And it's not like all we had to go off was one single tweet. People have done research, there were in depth articles, interview transcripts. More than enough out there for people to form their own Judgement or opinion, right or wrong. I don't even think Te'o says anything without Deadspin breaking the story. The only thing missing was Te'o doing an interview, which he finally did. Honestly, it smelled of story prep and being coached. Teo being that stupid, holds as much merit as MULTIPLE people joining forces to elaborately dupe this guy for years. So let me get this straight, the kid lies his ass off all because he didn't want to be embarrassed (waaaaa ), and now, we are suppose to believe what is coming out his mouth? Riiight. I guess he gained credibility over night. If the kid was willing to keep up a lie because he did not want to be embarassed, who's to say he won't lie to look like a innocent dumbass instead of a huge conniving d******d? Just curious, why are you so understanding of Teo's side? Are you a fan? Can you relate? Were you a victim of a catfish situation? So much information came out before Te'o spoke that you seemed to disregard. But Te'o speaks and you eat up his every word?
Mantis actiona after finding out the truth is not that much different than someone who got sucked into amway or some mlm and refuses to admit the truth to themselves bexause they don't want to believe that they could have been so gullible. Even later on they will still lie about the expereince and claim they made money from it. Just so happens mantis in the national spotlight because he's an athlete
??? These are your first posts in this thread, in order: You ABSOLUTELY rushed to judgment and seemed very eager to come down very hard on this guy. If you feel the "established" guilt is worthy of the treatment and statements you made, then fair enough. I disagree. That discussion ends there. So far, the only thing I'm dying to know is why he did not visit (or presumably why he did not make an attempt to visit) this girl when he was supposedly near her while she was hospitalized for a car wreck and/or cancer. There are holes there, but there are also holes in the timeline of when these things happened and what Te'os availability/location was when they happened. These things do not make enough of a case for me to automatically assume guilt and/or collusion on his part. Thanks, I guess. But I don't consider these 3 situations in any way similar, nor are my motivations for why I feel how I do about the 3 situations in any way related. I won't bother going into detail, as nobody really cares, but sufficed to say, I find this to be a total non sequitur. You absolutely, positively, 100% did. Neither one of these things have been reasonably proven yet. Dumb/gullible or evil. Your pick. I'm speaking as someone who has lived through a similar circumstance. You seem to be speaking as someone who has zero experience of being the victim of fraud, and also lacks empathy. I don't think it is reasonable to conclude that someone is that manipulative and self-serving, whereas I do think it very reasonable to think someone can be emotionally r****ded enough to have the wool pulled over their eyes for an extended period of time. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart, and not simplistic things like finance, etc.
IDK i'm still confused at this point, but this is his funniest lie: lol at us trying to decipher the logic & motivations of this guy. Everyone might be right; there's room for all these theories at the same time: - complete psycho. To not only keep lies like that going in the national media, but embellishing on them even after he knew the truth; - really dumb to get tricked like that in the first place, call a pure internet relation GF - an attention w**** who was enjoying the ride, as his friends said he'd point himself out on TV to others, perpetuated because of that & - maybe saw a little heisman advantage somewhere along the way, even if it wasn't primary. - potentially gay, started out making his internet GF more than what it was as a shield. - & is now motivating others to take the fall, even if that's just getting them to take more responsibility than for just the initial scam, having them say they took it further than they really did (an evil genius masterminding critical care hospital sound effects, hiring actors to spend time on the phone with him etc.)
Thanks, bro! Glad to see you think people are making hasty judgments, at least. Of course he doesn't. Why would he? That's the whole point of perpetuating the lie, to avoid being exposed and embarrassed. Well, seeing as how this is a story that has captivated the entire nation for nearly a week, and this guy has millions upon millions of dollars on the line, I don't really blame him for being careful how he handles things now that s*** has hit the fan. This says a lot about you, and it paints a pretty ugly picture. You make a valid point, he did lie, so I'm not taking everything he says to be infallible truth. However, things, as they stand, are coming together and making more sense day by day. I find Te'os explanation to be plausible, if not likely, and I don't see how he could get away with lying much at this point, as the spotlight and microscope is very much on him. One thing I've learned is that I need to stop giving a crap if this stuff makes sense to people, either you find it plausible or you don't. Nothing that is said is probably going to change those people's minds at this point. It's a lost cause. I've lived and seen several similar circumstances. I hate Notre Dame, I have no rooting interest in seeing Te'o succeed or be vindicated, I merely empathize with his situation and hate to see someone's life ruined in such a manner. BTW, what information am I "disregarding"? All of the lies and fabrications Te'o made about his relationship with the woman, prior to him finding out she wasn't real, I very readily acknowledge and expected. I just don't see them as an indicator of guilt/complicitness in this hoax.
Donny...when the news came out, there was already a plethora of information available. I read every article...I never posted in this thread until I read everything that was available at the time...and that amount of information was definitely enough to form an opinion. It's really not that difficult to come to very basic conclusions. Just because I didnt wait an X amount of hours doesnt change that. I read the story...Ive seen his interviews...Ive seen his transcripts...what else is there to wait for? I had followed the story long before it came out as being false. You seem to think that everyone should be on standby until all truth is unveiled...the fact of the matter is that nobody will ever know the truth, 100%. Therefore, your stance is kind of pointless. There is more than enough information to come to a conclusion. I mean, you are literally doing everything in your power to believe that Manti is innocent. You keep making excuses for his benefit. Even though you acknowledge how outlandish it is for him to not visit his girlfriend, you still resort to the "oh wait, we arent really sure about his availability during those dates and times". Maybe you're just overly gullible, since you have also fallen for a similar situation. If that is the case, then maybe you shouldnt be so gullible in defending Manti here.
How about we just don't go s***ting all over people, grabbing pitchforks, and claiming they're evil heisman sympathy promoting masterminds as our first inclination. Is that too much to ask? On the contrary, I'm doing hardly anything. I haven't broken a sweat about this. I formed a basis opinion on nothing but intuition, and I'm waiting for evidence to come to the surface as I revisit. So far, all the evidence has made me feel more confident in my first guess as to how this saga went down.
Like Ive said, he's either in on this or he is not. If he is that dumb, where he met the love of his life and failed to visit her when she was dying because "he didnt think about it"...then he deserves ridicule. If he was in on the hoax in any way, he deserves ridicule. Why are you missing this? Pretty simple. Why would anyone break a sweat over this? And how could you be confident in your first guess? I think its laughable at this point. Unless, of course, its at all normal for someone to talk up a girlfriend so much...and then not even think about visiting them. Just that alone should trigger you to assume that something is wrong here. Yet, lets keep holding on until the dire end...just like Schaub and Armstrong. Its the same pattern with you.
And another thing about the lawyer. People were say he was probably there in case Manti was suing the girl. Well, why not sue Ronniah, the guy who supposedly orchestrated the whole thing from the jump? This is what he said about Ronniah: <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Te'o: "I don't wish an ill thing to somebody. I just hope (Tuiasosopo) learns. I think embarrassment is big enough"</p>— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/status/292516363103268865" data-datetime="2013-01-19T06:18:30+00:00">January 19, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> So the guy who hoaxes him for years about the love of his life, and he thinks embarrassment is big enough? Wow, what a forgiving guy. I guess he's a big dumbass after all. That's the keyword here, public persona. Everyone knows not everybody is same person in public as they are in private. With that said, it's not out of the norm for a good person to do something bad or out of his characteristics. We hear about it all the time.
Sorry, I don't really care to go out of my way to ridicule this guy. Especially not in the event he wasn't in on it. I guess that's just me, though. Uh, you tell me, you're the one claiming I'm "trying so hard". I don't feel that way. Because the evidence trickling out is supporting my guess? I find this funny coming from someone who was way, way, way too confident early on. Yes, something is wrong. But I don't know what is wrong. Several explanations for this kind of weirdness and erratic behavior, as other posters have pointed out. Dire end? It hasn't even been a week since this story broke!
You dont think someone who didnt visit the most amazing woman and love of his life, when she was in two life threatening situation, deserves to be ridiculed? Um, okay. By trying hard, Im saying that you are reaching to defend him. For instance, saying that maybe he didnt visit his gf because he possibly wasnt available. You shouldnt be breaking a sweat...but you're reaching. Yeah, the facts are simple and the conclusions, regardless of what they are, shed a bad light on Manti. He doesnt win in this situation because any outcome is a poor reflection on him. Yeah, that something being wrong is big enough where you should probably start question Manti...but no, lets wait it out bc the truth will probably show us that Manti is so innocent. Dire end...meaning, there is enough facts to make a conclusion. Waiting an extra 5 hours, 5 days, or 5 years wont make Manti look any better.
Yeah. I don't. I guess that makes me weird huh? I definitely don't want to shat all over somebody until I'm pretty confident it won't come back to bite me. And even then, shatting on somebody usually isn't something I enjoy doing. You and I must be very different people in that regard. I disagree, but whatever, you already knew that. I'm waiting for those holes to be filled, as they're still fuzzy. Even as they stand now, it makes me think Te'o is just weird and/or dumb, and not evil. Absolutely. No matter how this ends, he's going to look bad. The question is, how bad. I think there's a big difference between being an idiot and being a manipulative b*stard. But maybe that's just me. Questioning Manti and "waiting it out" are not mutually exclusive of each other. I disagree, vehemently. Also, I think you and I should probably not talk about this to one another anymore. We're not going to make any progress and it's obvious we disagree about just about everything in this case. We do each other no favors to sit here and question each other's line of thought, past experiences, and views on morality/crime/punishment. You're a decent guy, I could have a beer with you (a real beer, not a fake one, lulz), but let's just say, I hope we never end up on a jury together.
Where there's smoke, there's fire. I guess Manti's lived long enough to see himself become the villain.
Hey now! Lol now you're judging me. Damn, didn't even take you out for a drink yet, girl What can I say, im not going to baby him. He has to be held accountable at some point. I can't feel sorry for somebody who kept lying because he doesn't want to get embarrassed. Lying is a hard act to justify. Especially at this level. I could feel sorry if someone had to lie because his life or someone else's life was on the line. Something along those but not for the sake of not wanting to be humiliated. It doesn't justify his lying to me. I feel sorry for people in poverty, people with illnesses, people who have to devalue themselves to make a living, ect. ect. So the fact i dont feel for him makes me show an "ugly picture", so be it. I don't feel sorry for a future NFLer who lies and will make millions and millions in the next few years. Hes a saint compared to the rapist, murderers, dog murders and drug dealers already in the league. If the worst he's getting from this is people ripping him apart, laughing at him and make him into a meme figure, then I'm pretty sure he'll be fine. The kid is already dating, c'mon this is a grown ass man we are talking about here. Ok, now everything makes sense. Didn't know you were a catfish victim. For that, I will leave this alone with you. And his life is not going to be ruined. Once the next big news story breaks, Te'o will be old news. For now, he just has to take the consequences of his lies like a man.
Fair enough...beer's on me any time you're up for it. I'll pay with something other than monopoly money. ----- My best friend from high school went to Notre Dame. This entire football season, Ive had to hear his crap. I have followed Te'o for the majority of the season. Even though I didnt initially like him, listening him talk to various interviewers painted a completely different picture in my mind. I was so amazed that a human being could be as strong as what he showed us. I was immensely impressed that a college student could be as mature as he was. He was able to convey the terrifying amount of pain he had to endure. My heart truly went out to him. When all this stuff came out...there was obviously disappointment on my part. Regardless of the truth, the end result would paint Manti as a completely different person than he portrayed in the months of interviews I saw of him. I look at my situation. If I love my gf to death and she was in a life threatening situation, I would consider myself a scumbag if it didnt cross my mind to visit her. In that case, if it didnt cross my mind to visit her, then I clearly do not care for her like I should....If that is the case, then I would consider myself a scumbag for going into interview after interview discussing about how the love of my life is losing her life. When the facts dont add up...there is something terribly wrong. Te'o could very well have been played, but to think that he didnt play along at some point, would be very naive. If it looks like a rat, if it smells like a rat, if it sounds like a rat...should you still question if it is a rat? Maybe I look at things from a scientific perspective. When you have a certain number of facts, it should lead to conclusion. If a patient comes in and they complain of headaches, then I look in their mouths and they have wear on their teeth, or their gums have recession...well, I conclude that they grind their teeth at night. I would be 100% certain. The fact that they brush and floss religiously or the fact that they eat lots of sweets has no bearing on my diagnosis. Same analogies could be applied to cavities, root canals, braces, etc...and pretty much every aspect of life. In the case of Manti, we are waiting to get every detail to figure out the entirety of the story. However, I think the information that is public is enough to come to a conclusion that he is nowhere near the person I thought he was a month ago. 3 scenarios: If Ta'o really loved her like he said he did...he should have visited her. No excuses. If Ta'o didnt visit her because he didnt really love her, then he shouldnt have played up the story as much as he did. No excuses. If Ta'o was at all a part of this, then clearly, he's a disgusting human being. Are any of these situations okay? Absolutely not.
I don't know why anyone takes DM's opinion on a public persona's credibility seriously. This is the same poster who defended Lance Armstrong to the end and blasted those who thought differently. It's not surprising that he takes this stance and there's a possibility that he's right. There's also a strong probability that he's completely wrong, but so what? Not everyone reasons the same way.
If by "defended", you mean "gave the benefit of the doubt to and asked for sufficient evidence before turning on him" then yeah. Note to you: did you happen to notice how I'm not the only person and/or legal entity to turn on Armstrong once the USADA report was published? If by "blasted those who thought differently" you mean fought with one poster, ATW (whom often acted like a petulant jerk, and still is, for some strange reason), then yeah. Sure. At least this part of your post is right. I have no idea why people care about how I feel the way I feel. Notice how people are antagonizing me over my opinion, and demanding I justify it to them?
