I was Manti Teo'ed or Catfished My Sophomore Year at Notre Dame

[joeybee12]

I had a phone in my room...we all did because they made it very easy for you. One night I came in and the phone was ringing...it was a woman who identified herself as a student at St. Mary's College who just wanted someone to talk to...and me, being young and very naive, thought she was serious...she told me she had leukemia, and she had just gone out for a walk for a long evening, was feeling lonely, and felt she could talk to a stranger better than someone she knew. Anyway, she roped me into her story, and for the next few weeks she called often just to talk...she said she originally called my number just dialing any random number. Yeah, I believed that, too. Anyway, it never got to a serious attachment, I just thought she was lonely and needed someone to talk to in her situation...I finally mentioned this to someone else (I guess I didn't for a while because I thought it was kind of weird) and he said, told me who she was and that her name wasn't who she said she was, but a single mother living in South Bend who just wanted to f*ck Notre Dame guys and had been pulling this stunt for a few years now. She was barking up the wrong tree obviously, and being embarrassed, I called her and confronted her. She said something like, "Wouldn't it be terrible if someone did what you say I'm doing?" and stuff like that, but never admitted or denied her hoax. I ended the conversation saying I felt sorry for her, and hung up. I never heard from her again.

Anyway, not nearly as dramatic or as involved as Manti's, but I can see how this whole thing could have started since there are people out there who want to lie and deceive you for reasons known to themselves, and I fell for something similiar. Well, I can see how Manti's started...can't see how it went on for so long, though.

[Eddie Haskell]

1. Our military fakes human interest stories all the time.

I don't remember this much outrage about Jessica Lynch.

[joeybee12]

2. That's true...

Someone pointed out he didn't break the law or kill anyone, granted, it's weird, but the coverage is way overdone.

[dsc]

3. In point of fact Ms. Lynch was quite angry at the time

[joeybee12]

4. Not angry enough to NOT write a book and cash in, though!

[dsc]

5. a book in which she set the record straight

it would have been better for her to silently let the story stand?

[joeybee12]

8. I didn't read the book...but I sort of recall her simply glossing

over it and talking more about her entire time there...saying she couldn't remember...not really saying it didn't happen.

[Hekate]

10. She felt the need to tell truth to power. That took guts.

And her wounds were significant.

I salute her.

[WinkyDink]

12. This doesn't make sense. Why would anyone be angry enough to....keep quiet?

[Nye Bevan]

15. At least she existed (nt)

[Hekate]

6. Years ago I fell for a DUer's long sad, sad story--so did a lot of us at the time

To this day I don't know if it was true or not, and I can't remember what finally gave me that little "ping!" feeling. But suddenly I was no longer engaged with it.

We're all faceless online and on the phone. A lot of us have kind hearts. Some people are scammers.

I'm sorry for this kid.

[joeybee12]

7. I sort of remember the story in question...a lot of people were duped...

Didn't some even give money?

[Hekate]

13. Yes -- donations were made

There's actually been more than one long sad story here. It was easier to believe in each other when we were a smaller community -- and on the whole, I see no reason to have not believed most DUers back then. It's just -- a couple of them.

[bluestate10]

9. Why would the football player mention his "dear" girlfriend after he supposedly found out

that she didn't exist? Notre Dame has become a sewer defending football at any cost. A young woman killed herself after being assaulted by a football player and demonetized by Notre Dame administrators. Another woman was raped and intimidated into silence until protectors told her story.

[joeybee12]

11. Um...please cite the two examples...if its the woman who killed herself

I know the story...and your characterization is way off...who was the one intimiated into silence?

[woolldog]

14. Wait a minute

how do we even know that joeybee12 really is joeybee12? Maybe's he's catfishing us with a story about being catfished?

[ChirpChirp]

17. this

How do we know you are who you say you are

[ChirpChirp]

16. ..

I wonder if the truth will ever come out

[TorchTheWitch]

18. Except you weren't the one making it up

and have your buddy and father help perpetuate the myth for publicity gain.

Manti is up to his neck in this, and he benefited directly from it. Now that it's known that the fictitious girlfriend never existed to begin with what the hell else is he going to claim to try to make himself out to be the victim? Manti's "situation" started when he and his buddy cooked this scheme up together, and Manti road it for all it was worth, which he DID benefit directly from... so did his team and so did the whole college football organization.

The victims here are the general public and most particularly the woman who's photos they stole and claimed they were of this fictitious girlfriend who had no idea she was being used in this way.

Manti is no victim here. HE made up this story to selfishly benefit from, which he most certainly did and for a very long time.