Incredibly Self-Aware Manti Te'o Roasts Himself During NFL Network Debut
Manti Te'o is well aware of the elephant in the room. So he figured he might as well go ahead and address it.
The former Notre Dame and NFL linebacker — who became more widely known as the victim of an elaborate catfishing scheme — made his debut as a host on NFL Network's Good Morning Football this week.
On Friday, Te'o took on Kyle Brandt in a spirited game of Notre Dame football trivia. Te'o was one of the greatest defensive players in Fighting Irish history and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012.
The tie-breaking question asked how many tackles Te'o had in his college career. Brandt had no idea, but he guessed 323. Te'o also had to guess because…
"I haven't Googled myself since 2013," he said, "for obvious reasons."
The 33-year-old is, of course, referring to the infamous girlfriend hoax that happened during his senior season at Notre Dame. He began an online relationship with who he thought was a woman named Lennay Kekua — who later "died" of leukemia. Turns out, though, this woman never existed in the first place.
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Te'o was cat-fished. And when the news broke, he was subjected to widespread humiliation and intense online ridicule.
Manti Te'o Joins NFL Network
The 2012 Unanimous All-American went on to play eight seasons in the NFL, but the tale of his imaginary girlfriend haunted him wherever he went. Now, in his new role at NFL Network, Te'o is hoping he can be a voice to help others.
"There are so many people that reached out to me, all over the world, that said, ‘Hey listen, your story really impacted me," Te’o said. "Now, that put a responsibility on me to say … not everybody knows the truth. Not everybody saw the documentary. So, what good can I do? Well, in order for you to do any type of good, you have to have a voice that people will listen to.
"And what a great opportunity that NFL Network has given me to be on camera with again my NFL Network family, the Good Morning Football family, where I can be able to add some value, and also have value added to me and grow my family."
Well, at least we can all joke about it now. Te'o added that his goal is to "spread as much positivity as I can, to spread good energy."
So far, mission accomplished.