I've had a chance to talk to a number of friends since I posted the article last night.
I do have to be careful -- it is not 100% proven yet that Manti Te'o is actually involved in the scam.
But I think it's clear that people are going to get to the bottom of this, and the potential damage, and the dark possibilities, are almost endless:
1) What if it's Te'o himself, or with individual co-conspirators?
This, frankly, at BEST, decimates his draft stock -- if not blackballs him from the NFL entirely.
It's the "Why?" that comes into play here that determines just what is going on.
Because there's really only three options I can think of that he would do this (stressing for all who read: If he's doing this on his own or with non-affiliated individuals)?
a) He's an attention whore. This, on surface, would make him fit perfectly in the Roger Goodell NFL.
The problem with that is: He could not be trusted, with anything. Not a playbook, a defensive scheme, or anything. It's all got to go through him, and he's especially vulnerable to, as they say in professional wrestling, "go into business for himself".
b) He has a "professional" impropriety. (I'm using these words to parallel with option c).)
In so many words, he was not (NCAA) eligible, for some reason, to play at Notre Dame, and concocted this story to deflect as much of that as he could.
Not particularly likely, but we cannot discount that possibility.
c) He has a "personal" "impropriety".
He went to Notre Dame.
He is a Mormon.
It is said, though I can't find it proven, that certain lifestyles are harshly frowned upon in his Samoan culture.
Though the Internet is often very quick to label anything they don't like to be "gay", that is the predominant belief that seems to be orbiting the Internet is that he and Tuiasosopo are actually involved with each other, and used the fake girlfriend to literally save Te'o's neck.
Consider: He's discovered to be gay, and he's probably not only out of the NFL (one of the most homophobic organizations in the United States), but he almost certainly would be expelled from Notre Dame.
Yes, homosexuality is (implied as) a disciplinary offense at Notre Dame. I'm not kidding.
In fact, any sexual activity outside of marriage is a disciplinary offense at Notre Dame.
"The University embraces the Catholic Church’s teaching that a genuine
and complete expression of love through sex requires a commitment to a
total living and sharing together of two persons in marriage.
Consequently, students who engage in sexual union outside of marriage
may be subject to University sanction."
It would not be, then, out of the question to assert cleanly that, if Te'o were involved in any homosexual relationship, he would be kicked out of the University of Notre Dame as soon as the process could allow for it to happen legally.
On top of that, he could be excommunicated from the Mormon Church, of which he is a member.
If he's outed, he loses everything. He's probably left to limp along in the CFL, and may well never see the millions he felt he was destined to.
But there are other options...
2) What if this is some fucking Internet jerk who just hit the jackpot?
It's not out of the question that this is just some independent asshole (and, yes, whoever is responsible for all this is a sick fuck, an asshole, and a jerk who, if not criminally actionable, should at least be taken out back and beat the crap out of...) who started this, was very conniving, and got it done with.
I have extensive experience with trolls who desire death, destruction, and mental suffering of all who are not their like. Would I put it past somebody to basically target a famous athlete and troll the Hell out of them to destroy everything they've worked their lives for?
In a New York Minute I wouldn't put it past these Internet assholes.
In fact, a former Arizona Cardinals fullback, Reagan Mauia, has said he's actually met the (now declared fake) girlfriend of Manti Te'o, while she was alive.
This would almost assert that whomever was responsible for this has at least harassed a second such victim.
This would indicate the scam goes far beyond Notre Dame, and may well actually be someone who has a fetish/hard-on/psychopathology to fuck around with Samoan-heritage American-football players.
Ooooooooooooooo... kee.....................
3) What if this was Notre Dame, independent of any outside media before the outside media actually began latching onto this story during the 2012 season?
We know this went on for quite some time (even before the 2012 season), if we are to believe as publicized within the Notre Dame community.
What if Notre Dame concocted this as not only a function to advance Te'o (they appeared to have quite the shameless campaign to get Te'o the Heisman this year!), but also to help advance the program (felt to be "good" this year) to the BCS National Championship Game?
Consider: Who actually has a voice in determining the BCS National Championship Game, before we factor in any rigging, manipulation, etc.?
1) A USA Today-cultivated poll of 59 FBS coaches. (For the record, the ratio of BCS schools to non-BCS schools is actually pretty close to correct.
2) 115 former players, coaches, administrators, and current and former members of the media who make up the Harris Poll.
3) Six secretive computers using algorithms (which are believed to be manipulate-able).
Consider what such a story might do in a human situation in which 2/3 of the determining factor is human polls...
Just a thought.
4) What if this was someone at, say, ESPN, "creating news"?
We know, now, they do it.
The next question would be "Why?"
If you took a look at this college football season (and some of the chicanery I've already discussed -- even though, as of this writing, the Pittsburgh game video has been taken down (*cough*I wonder why!*cough*)), one has to wonder if the Owners of College Football -- ESPN! -- took one look at this college football season and saw that so much power has concentrated in the Southeastern Conference that someone had to actually be manipulated into the national championship picture just to have a non-SEC team in the national championship picture?
The SEC had six of the top 12 teams in the country, even with Florida's flipping-off of the Sugar Bowl in losing (more like "throwing") the game to Louisville.
You'd have to think this was common knowledge to ESPN, who is in the second-to-last year of a $500,000,000 contract to air (and effectively control) the Bowl Championship Series.
Look at this year's BCS, other than the scripted bringing-about the Championship Game.
NOT ONE COMPELLING MATCHUP.
Not one EVEN REMOTELY compelling matchup. (One of them was a "Directional A&M U" mid-September matchup!)
Closest game was six points, and, keeping track of that game, the result was never really in doubt in that game either. The rest were routs.
So would I not put it past ESPN to try to recoup it's investment by manufacturing, as well as rigging, a barnburner BCS Championship Game matchup (which lasted about five minutes until Jim Ross' Government Mule Syndrome kicked in)?
5) And then there's the REAL dark possibilities...
Most of these are bad enough! Consider a couple of others, somewhat related to some possibilities above:
a) Someone knows something on Te'o, and blackmailed him into throwing the BCS National Championship Game to forestall this announcement (for whatever purpose the "relationship" had) for gambling or result purposes.
b) Someone knows something on Te'o, befriends him, decides to aid and abet all this, but then pulls the rug out from under him (and Notre Dame -- it is now clear that Notre Dame knew about this last week -- which almost certainly means they knew of this over their heads during the BCSNCG and it's preparations), making tons of money in Vegas from the result.
EDIT: I had thought Deadspin had deleted a comment of mine proposing one of these possibilities. They had not. They're just notoriously difficult to find.
Also: Deadspin has six possibilities that at least one blogger is forwarding on this story.
1) He was openly defrauded, not involved, never caught it.
The official story. For now...
2) He was openly defrauded, not involved, caught on to it, but held off until after at least the Heisman voting, figuring the story might help his chances.
At that point, with what can he, still, be trusted?
3) The story was made up by Te'o and Tuisasosopo with the direct intention of winning the Heisman.
This may be true, but the Evidence Against is the most damning against it -- as, if he ever comes clean to Notre Dame at all on the subject, he's not only subject to expulsion from the University, he risks, as I said in the article I posted between the original posting of this article and the edit here, the entire 2012 Notre Dame football season be nullified.
4) The story was made up by Te'o and Tuiasosopo to cover up a gay relationship.
Addressed. Sounds like a prominent proponent of this argument is a Washington, DC morning sports show starring former Redskins star Lavar Arrington.
5) Maui'a's story checks and this is NOT a hoax.
Someone better talk real fast in that case!
6) Deadspin is the hoax here.
In which case, they'd be in one heap of trouble with a lot of people.
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