12:57 pm - 01/17/2013
and there's more
Manti TE'o Hoax: All Scams lead to Ronaiah Tuiasosopo
The Manti Te'o not-really-dead-girlfriend hoax was perpetuated by a man named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo -- who served as a representative for the family of the fake "Lennay Kekua" ... and TMZ has the photo proof.
Here's what we know ...
While Manti was "dating" Lennay ... a Notre Dame die-hard fan who we'll call "Jan" (to protect her identity) reached out to Lennay on Twitter and began an online friendship. After Lennay's supposed death, Jan became involved with a group called "Wear a Lei 4 Manti" -- in which fans wore Hawaiian leis to ND football games to show their support for the football star.
When the "Wear a Lei 4 Manti" movement began to receive media attention, Jan says she noticed she gained a Twitter follower named U'ilani Rae Kekua. Jan tells TMZ ... she reached out to U'ilani and asked if she was related to Lennay -- to which U'ilani replied, "Yes, that's my baby sister." The two became friends. In fact, Jan says they both mentioned how they were going to attend the Notre Dame vs. USC game in L.A. on November 24, 2012 ... so Jan sent U'ilani her cell phone number in case she wanted to meet up.
Here's where the story takes a turn ... Jan tells TMZ she got a phone call from U'ilani on the day of the game directing her to the famous Tommy Trojan statue in front of the stadium, so they could meet up.But when Jan arrived to the statue, U'ilani was NOT there ... but guess who was -- Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. Jan and Ronaiah even took a photo together (see above). According to the Deadspin article, Ronaiah was the person who obtained the photo of the woman everyone believed to be Lennay ... and is suspected of having a major role in the hoax.
Jan tells us Ronaiah was with a little girl during the USC meeting who they called Pookah -- and together, they explained how Lennay's sister couldn't come down to visit, so U'ilani sent them instead. Jan says Ronaiah "made it seem as if he was a member of Lennay's family." After Jan and Ronaiah took the picture together -- Jan says Ronaiah began to act paranoid ...and told her, "Make sure you don't post this photo online."
Soon after the game, Jan says she was contacted by U'ilani ... who also urged her NOT to post the picture of Ronaiah. She didn't explain why.
U'ilani later sent a photo to Jan showing a woman at a cemetery -- and told her, "This is me and my family at Lennay's gravesite. We're spending the day here."
The Manti Te'o not-really-dead-girlfriend hoax was perpetuated by a man named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo -- who served as a representative for the family of the fake "Lennay Kekua" ... and TMZ has the photo proof.
Here's what we know ...
While Manti was "dating" Lennay ... a Notre Dame die-hard fan who we'll call "Jan" (to protect her identity) reached out to Lennay on Twitter and began an online friendship. After Lennay's supposed death, Jan became involved with a group called "Wear a Lei 4 Manti" -- in which fans wore Hawaiian leis to ND football games to show their support for the football star.
When the "Wear a Lei 4 Manti" movement began to receive media attention, Jan says she noticed she gained a Twitter follower named U'ilani Rae Kekua. Jan tells TMZ ... she reached out to U'ilani and asked if she was related to Lennay -- to which U'ilani replied, "Yes, that's my baby sister." The two became friends. In fact, Jan says they both mentioned how they were going to attend the Notre Dame vs. USC game in L.A. on November 24, 2012 ... so Jan sent U'ilani her cell phone number in case she wanted to meet up.
Here's where the story takes a turn ... Jan tells TMZ she got a phone call from U'ilani on the day of the game directing her to the famous Tommy Trojan statue in front of the stadium, so they could meet up.But when Jan arrived to the statue, U'ilani was NOT there ... but guess who was -- Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. Jan and Ronaiah even took a photo together (see above). According to the Deadspin article, Ronaiah was the person who obtained the photo of the woman everyone believed to be Lennay ... and is suspected of having a major role in the hoax.
Jan tells us Ronaiah was with a little girl during the USC meeting who they called Pookah -- and together, they explained how Lennay's sister couldn't come down to visit, so U'ilani sent them instead. Jan says Ronaiah "made it seem as if he was a member of Lennay's family." After Jan and Ronaiah took the picture together -- Jan says Ronaiah began to act paranoid ...and told her, "Make sure you don't post this photo online."
Soon after the game, Jan says she was contacted by U'ilani ... who also urged her NOT to post the picture of Ronaiah. She didn't explain why.
U'ilani later sent a photo to Jan showing a woman at a cemetery -- and told her, "This is me and my family at Lennay's gravesite. We're spending the day here."
At first he and his dad I think both said they met her, now they are saying he never met her, and that he lied b/c he was embarrassed that they met online.
Most people think Ronaiah and Manti were dating and they made up this girl as a misdirection and the lie got away from them.
oh, this if the first i've heard of this theory. interesting... but that seems really stupid to create a fake person as a misdirection? why not just be on the down low then?
Someone said something about ND being really strict and religious, and he was up for the Heisman, and maybe people thought he was gay so he made her up to quell the rumors?
I think it would make more sense just to lie and say you're single but who knows what pressures this guy was feeling?
making someone up just baffles my mind cause like, there is no way people won't figure it out eventually
*Assuming he's gay and hiding his real relationship.
But if he's really gay and in a secret gay relationship making up a girlfriend gives you the excuse for having long phone calls, disappearing, etc. And again no one asking about your GF or trying to set you up.
WHYYYYY continue to meet random people and pretend to be family of the dead girl??? this is the most confusing part. are these people completely stupid?!?! idgi.
I raised the question of Te'o being gay in relation to this scandal to my brother, who's a huge college football fan, and he immediately dismissed it. He told me there's no way Te'o could be gay.
I have a feeling ESPN would behave similarly and that the other major sports media outlets would as well.
But I mean the length of the relationship is where it's fishy. This shit went on for 3 yrs. It screams "cover up" for something (ie gay relationship with friend).