Comments on: For Te’o, draft stock could hinge on how he handles story

By: doubleogator

doubleogator — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 01:13:59 +0000

I know I wouldn’t draft him even in the 7th round. If he’s such a liar then I wouldn’t want him on my team, and if he really is that gullible and stupid, yes stupid, then I wouldn’t want him on my team…

By: notoriouswarsaw

notoriouswarsaw — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:13:48 +0000

sorry if someone else has said this I didn’t read the comments but his punishment must be severe, getting drafted by the jets would do

By: granadafan

granadafan — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:58:03 +0000

Teams can deal with criminals and have a history of doing so. However, they’re a little more cautious when it comes to players who are mentally unstable. To perpetuate a fake girlfriend for years just doesn’t seem like Teo is right in the head.

By: ishudbgm

ishudbgm — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:46:43 +0000

If your an NFL GM would you want 53 Manti Te’o like personalities on your ball club? My answer is NO. It would be the blind leading the blind!

By: marcinhouston

marcinhouston — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:28:19 +0000

If Te’o actually fell asleep with the phone by his ear every night with this girl, like he said in interviews, he can present cell phone or long distance billing records that show frequent 1hr+ calls to the same number every night during that period. If he can, I mostly would believe him because it would be quite an elaborate ruse to leave the phone on the line every night just to document your own hoax. If he cannot produce the records, then he made up or embellished the emotional details of his personal tragedy story and is a fake.

By: fissels

fissels — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:20:54 +0000

“What a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive”

By: askingwater

askingwater — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:00:04 +0000

“What if I told you that a Heisman finalist was willing to do anything to fit in with the guys…even if it meant making a fool of himself, his university, and investigative journalism as we know it?”…ESPN’s 30 for 30 presents Manti Teo.

By: raiderredleg

raiderredleg — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:59:34 +0000

Teo’s stock will fall because of his absolutely horrible performance against a Alabama team that is as close to a professional caliber team as you can play in the CFB.

This will just be used as extra justification by those who don’t pick him.

Personally…No way I take a MLB (or any other type of LB) high in the draft anyway. NFL is an offensive league now so you either draft offense high in the draft OR draft a DE who can rush the passer (QB can’t throw if he goes down and goes down HARD).

By: nickster31

nickster31 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:30:04 +0000

Stock was falling anyway. This does nothing but push him further down draft boards.

By: dalucks

dalucks — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:23:44 +0000

This will hurt Manti Teo’s draft stock similiar to Vontaze Burfict last season. Both were high first round talents but both have alot of off field maturity issues that will cause them both 1st round money. I think like Burfict, Teo will go undrafted. Granted Burfict had multiple off field immaturity issues, this one issue with Manti Teo trumps all of those by a wide margin.
There is no right way to answer questions about this situation. There are no right answers. Even if he tells the truth, there is still alot of head scratching about his character.
It is hard to understand and believe that in 2013 with Skype, twitter, facebook and other methods of sending photos that someone has a girlfriend that he does not see. It is hard to understand how someone has a girlfriend that he never has any physical contact, no hugs, no kisses, no date, nothing. It is hard to understand how you have a girlfriend with cancer and she is involved in a car accident but her boyfriend does not visit her, at any point. It is hard to understand how your girlfriend dies but her boyfriend does not attend the funeral. How deep was his love for her again? These are just a few questions that can only make his character look worse than it currently does.
This is just not a situation that can be fixed with the next 98 days before the 2013 NFL draft.
Manti Teo will go undrafted in the 2013 NFL draft. 7th round at best.

By: accipiterq

accipiterq — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:22:30 +0000

Manti said he met the girl in person after a game at Stanford. He has no way out of this.

By: mungman69

mungman69 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:22:14 +0000

I still don’t get it. I wouldn’t draft him.

By: blacktoothgrinn

blacktoothgrinn — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:11:54 +0000

I saw it mentioned somewhere else, but can you imagine the hazing and ball busting he will take in the locker room? It would probably be easier if he comes out as gay cause this story is just too bizarre.

By: elwaysmilehighdenver

elwaysmilehighdenver — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:11:11 +0000

This just in! Manti doesn’t really exist.
He was no where to be found in the NC
game vs. Bama! And I thought Rex and the Jets owned the circus tent. Nope it’s always been in South Bend! This is absolutely crazy.

By: cliverush

cliverush — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:10:46 +0000

He is a Morman from a macho society attending a Catholic school known for its football history. Now why on earth would he want to hide that he is gay?

By: wacco4flacco

wacco4flacco — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:00:39 +0000

Given the recent popularity of MTV’s new show Catfish – which is literally about what Te’o claims happened to him regarding online dating – it would only make the story weirder if this was somehow connected to that show.

By: fanofevilempire

fanofevilempire — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:45:47 +0000

maybe he was thinking about his blow up doll….
they have name too!

By: randolph32

randolph32 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:44:58 +0000

Folks it only takes one team to make him a top draft pick….and there will be one!

By: szwhtsup123

szwhtsup123 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:44:10 +0000

Hmm doesn’t show up for the BCS championship game, is a half a fruitcake with off field issues, say Hello to the Jets, Raiders or Cowboys!

By: modellforprez

modellforprez — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:39:56 +0000

Good Piece. well said

By: FinFan68

FinFan68 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:32:17 +0000

He is either a liar, extraordinarily stupid or gay. None of those help his draft stock much. My bet is at least two of the three.

By: commonsensedude

commonsensedude — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:31:55 +0000

If I knew someone had made up an imaginary fiancee … and then killed her off … I would be pretty worried about the person’s sanity and stability. What in the world else would they “make up” or otherwise lie about? Pass.

By: arrowhead816

arrowhead816 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:31:02 +0000

A 3 yr online relationship, now people are saying they seen & talked to her? IMHO, I think he was dating a transgender man, only a person would go through all of this to protect something their hiding.

By: Nickstixx

Nickstixx — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:28:57 +0000

It’s not going to affect his draft status either way really. Not too much anyways, he is still a 1st round pick.

By: sosuhme

sosuhme — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:28:52 +0000

There is plenty of evidence that will either exonerate or fry Te’o. There should be phone records supporting all of these lengthy and heart wrenching phone conversations. There will be an electronic trail of everything he did on-line. He claims he sent her roses. I don’t know how you send roses across the country without a credit or debit card – so there has to be a record of that. What florist did he use? Did he order them on-line? If so there should be a record of that. What address did he give the florist? Was he notified that they were not deliverable? If they were delivered, who signed for them? There is documentation of almost everything you do now days. This documentation will tell the true story.

By: rosmith51

rosmith51 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:26:15 +0000

He claimed he talked to her for hours at a time on his phone.

Should be a simple matter of showing the phone records. Whoever his provider is can come up with those instantly.

No phone records = he is 100% in on the hoax.

(Phone records don’t necessarily clear him, but no phone records mean he is definitely lying)

By: jmikeh73

jmikeh73 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:25:26 +0000

There are really three options for what is going on here:
1. the guy is mentally ill
2. the guy is blindly self-absorbed and did this to perpetuate some myth about his college career
3. the guy is gay
To me, his best option is #3, although in the NFL, that’s hardly the easiest option. If it ends up being #1, he becomes undraftable. If it ends up being #2, he’s no different than most elite athletes.

By: kelsey412

kelsey412 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:24:56 +0000

Oh great. He will drop down to patriots. Well that is just so marvelous

By: 3yardsndust

3yardsndust — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:21:45 +0000

So the point was to explain why he didn’t want to date girls at Notre Dame, right? Like, oh, I have a girlfriend, but she lives in Canada?

By: buffalose

buffalose — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:21:12 +0000

Story does not matter, either way hes a late teen early 20 pick. Teams will look over this, and no surprise if ND boosters helped this all happen for pub.
But, Te’o is over hyped, solid player but not as good as kuechly