Matt Cashore – USA TODAY Sports
As all of America knows by now, Manti Te’o's girlfriend isn’t real. Is it a cruel hoax that was perpetrated by a sociopathic individual, or was it a hoax that Te’o was in on? It seems that a majority of people are debating those questions today, searching for answers on how this thing could have happened. So, how about we break down each side of that coin, and see why each side is so hard to believe.
Reasons why it absolutely cannot be a three-year long hoax:
Any warm-blooded male would want to a) physically meet his beautiful girlfriend or b) at the very least have video calls daily. I was in a long-term relationship for over a year and a half. It was hard to go one day without visually seeing that person. Why wouldn’t Te’o want to do that? It doesn’t make sense at all.
Secondly, we have to think about this from the standpoint of Roniah Tuiasosopo. For all intents and purposes, he was a good friend of Manti, seeing as he was on the sidelines for the USC game this season. Why would a close, personal friend want to dupe someone for three years. Put yourself in Roniah’s shoes for a second: think of your best friend, think about making a fake profile with that purpose in mind, think about trolling your best friend, think about your best friend sharing intimate details, think about how awkward that would make you feel for a week. Now, think about doing that for three years. Is it possible that Tuiasosopo is the biggest sociopath ever? I suppose. Is it likely that someone could be that cruel to a personal friend for three years? Not really.
The reason why it makes no sense for Te’o to lie about the girlfriend:
Many people, justifiably so, think this was part of a hype machine. While that makes sense on the surface, why would Te’o stoop to that level? There’s no way that secret could have been kept forever, because it would have backfired just like this has. That’s the only reason why it makes no sense for Te’o to lie.
Reasons why it makes sense for Te’o to lie:
This is where the answer lies. There are plenty of reasons why Manti Te’o had to lie about his fictional relationship. It could have been because he was embarrassed; it could have been because of the reason why it made no sense for him to lie; it could have been because he dug his grave so deep, he thought he should lie in it. Or it could be something so obvious that a majority of us are completly overlooking, and something that is the likely the most logical answer.
Theory about why Manti did what he did has reached NFL team circles and if true absolutely explains his actions.
— mike freeman (@realfreemancbs) January 17, 2013
If this theory is true, Manti would end up being one of the most important stories in history.
— mike freeman (@realfreemancbs) January 17, 2013
Of all the things we know, it’s that Roniah Tuiasosopo is connected in both stories. And that he was on the sidelines months after Manti Te’o knew his dead girlfriend wasn’t real. There is something going on with Roniah Tuiasosopo and Manti Te’o. We don’t know what that connection is yet, nor are we 100% sure there is one. I mean, I could be completely wrong, seeing as this is all my own speculation from using my “jump to conclusions mat”.
All I know is, if my theory comes to fruition, there isn’t anything wrong with that.
