We live in a world where people care more about fake girlfriends and celebrity slip-ups than real life problems such as poverty and starvation. A story has recently come out that involves Manti Te'o, linebacker for Notre Dame's football team. He is 21 years old and going on 22 in a couple days. Apparently he developed an online relationship with a girl by the name of Lennay Kekua, whom he never actually met in person. He was told that Kekua died of cancer on September 12, 2012. His grandmother had also died not long before Kekua was presumed to be dead. He publicly dedicated and played his games for the two women. So, his story began to gain public attention. On December 6, 2012, Te'o got a phone call stating that Kekua was alive. During this time Te'o was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, an award that an individual receives for being the best football player.
So Te'o found out on December 6 that the situation was a hoax, but continued to go along with his story. I, personally, can completely understand what Te'o was going through. This star football player, who has been dating a made-up person, is about to go on national television and doesn't want to be embarrassed in front of the entire world. The whole situation has to be completely humiliating. Sure, he lied when he said that he had met her, but he didn't think people would understand his love for a women that he had actually never met. I am in no way condoning his lies; however, I can understand why he did it. Give the guy a break. Many people speculate whether Te'o actually planned the whole hoax and was part of it. Let me ask this, WHY DOES IT MATTER? Who cares if he did make it up? He's just a 21 year old guy in college that plays football. It has nothing to do with the fact that he was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. That award is based on showing excellence in the skills as a football player, not whether or not this guy has a fake girlfriend. That is something called, HIS PERSONAL LIFE. This story wouldn't matter so much if everyone wasn't so worried about everyone else's life.
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