{"id":10,"date":"2013-01-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/manti-te-ca-bbo-girlfriend-hoax-exposed\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T22:29:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T22:29:58","slug":"manti-te-ca-bbo-girlfriend-hoax-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/manti-te-ca-bbo-girlfriend-hoax-exposed\/","title":{"rendered":"Manti Te\u02bbo Girlfriend Hoax Exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Notre Dame linebacker Mani Te\u2019o appears to be the victim of an elaborate hoax involving his girlfriend named Lennay Kekua who recently died of leukemia. The school conducted an investigation from December 26th to January 4th, following Te\u2019o’s reports of receiving a call from a woman thought to be Kekua, setting up a scenario where Te\u2019o becomes the victim of an online hoax.<\/p>\n

According to Notre Dames Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick that, based on a report from an investigative firm hired by the school, he believes Te\u2019o was duped into an online relationship with a woman whose death was then faked by the perpetrators of the hoax.\u00a0 \u201cI want to stress, as someone who has probably been as engaged in this as anyone in the past couple of weeks, that nothing about what I have learned has shaken my faith in Manti Te\u2019o one iota,\u201d Swarbrick said Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cTo realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone\u2019s sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manti Te\u2019o statement<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Most notably, Te\u2019o was asked about his girlfriend on January 3rd at the BSC title game saying, \u201cThis team is very special to me, and the guys on it have always been there for me, through the good times and the bad times. I rarely have a quiet time to myself because I always have somebody calling me, asking, \u2018Do you want to go to the movies?\u2019 Coach is always calling me asking me, \u2018Are you OK? Do you need anything?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0Mike Ehrmann\/Getty Images<\/address>\n

The hoax story was originally broken by Deadspin.com\u2019s editor Timothy Burke on January 16th.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cManti Te\u2019o\u2019s Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax\u201d<\/p>\n

deadspin.com<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Below is an exerpt of the timeline of the events according to deadspin.com.<\/p>\n

Nov. 28, 2009:<\/strong> Te\u2019o and Kekua meet after Stanford\u2019s 45-38 victory over Notre Dame in Palo Alto, according to the South Bend Tribune<\/em>: \u201cTheir stares got pleasantly tangled, then Manti Te\u2019o extended his hand to the stranger with a warm smile and soulful eyes.\u201d Kekua, a Stanford student, swaps phone numbers with Te\u2019o.<\/p>\n

2010-2011:<\/strong> Te\u2019o and Kekua are friends. \u201cShe was gifted in music, multi-lingual, had dreams grounded in reality and the talent to catch up to them\u201d (South Bend Tribune<\/em>). \u201cThey started out as just friends,\u201d Te\u2019o’s father, Brian, told the Tribune<\/em> in October 2012. \u201cEvery once in a while, she would travel to Hawaii, and that happened to be the time Manti was home, so he would meet with her there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early 2012:<\/strong> Te\u2019o and Kekua become a couple. They talk on the phone nightly, according to ESPN.<\/p>\n

Some time in 2012:<\/strong> Kekua has a car accident somewhere in California that leaves her \u201con the brink of death\u201d (Sports Illustrated<\/em>). But when? Eight months before she died of cancer, in September, reports ESPN. \u201cAbout the time Kekua and Manti became a couple,\u201d reports the South Bend Tribune<\/em>. April 28, reports SI<\/em>.<\/p>\n

June 2012:<\/strong> As Kekua recovers from her injuries, doctors discover she has leukemia. She has a bone-marrow transplant. (\u201cThat was just in June,\u201d Brian Te\u2019o told the South Bend Tribune<\/em> in October of 2012. \u201cI remember Manti telling me later she was going to have a bone marrow transplant and, sure enough, that\u2019s exactly what happened. From all I knew, she was doing really, really well.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Summer 2012:<\/strong> Her condition improves. Kekua \u201ceventually\u201d graduates from Stanford, according to the South Bend Tribune<\/em>. (A New York Times<\/em> story, published Oct. 13, identifies her as a \u201cStanford alumnus.\u201d) She soon takes a turn for the worse. At some point, she enters treatment, apparently at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, Calif. (In a letter obtained by Fox Sports published Oct. 25, Te\u2019o writes to the parents of a girl dying of cancer: \u201cMy girlfriend, when she was at St. Jude\u2019s in LA, she had a little friend.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Te\u2019o talks to Lennay nightly, \u201cgoing to sleep while on the phone with her,\u201d according to Sports Illustrated<\/em>. \u201cWhen he woke up in the morning his phone would show an eight-hour call, and he would hear Lennay breathing on the other end of the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sept. 10, 2012:<\/strong> Kekua is released from the hospital; Manti\u2019s father, Brian, congratulates her \u201cvia telephone\u201d (South Bend Tribune<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Sept. 11-12, 2012:<\/strong> Te\u2019o’s grandmother dies in Hawaii. Later, Kekua dies in California. Or is it the other way around? \u201cTe\u2019o’s girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, died Sept. 11 of complications from leukemia. His grandma, Annette Santiago, died after a long illness less than 24 hours later,\u201d according to the Sept. 22 South Bend Tribune<\/em>. No, Annette dies first, according to the Oct. 12 South Bend Tribune<\/em>. In fact, Lennay lives long enough to express condolences over the death of Annette:<\/p>\n

Less than 48 hours later [after Lennay’s release from the hospital], at 4 a.m. Hawaii time, Kekua sent a text to Brian and Ottilia, expressing her condolences over the passing of Ottilia\u2019s mom, Annette Santiago, just hours before.<\/p>\n

Brian awakened three hours later, saw the text, and sent one back. There was no response. A couple of hours later, Manti called his parents, his heart in pieces.<\/p>\n

Lennay Kekua had died.<\/p>\n

Or does Kekua die three days later (New York Post<\/em>)? Four days (ESPN, CBS)?<\/p>\n

In any case, according to Te\u2019o’s interview with Gene Wojciechowski in a segment aired during the Oct. 6 episode of College GameDay<\/em>, Lennay\u2019s last words to Te\u2019o were \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sept. 12, 2012 (morning):<\/strong> Te\u2019o is informed of his grandmother\u2019s passing (Sports Illustrated<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Sept. 12, 2012 (afternoon):<\/strong> Te\u2019o is informed of Kekua\u2019s passing by her older brother, Koa (Sports Illustrated<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Sept. 15, 2012:<\/strong> Te\u2019o records 12 tackles in leading the Irish to an upset win over Michigan State.<\/p>\n

Sept. 22, 2012:<\/strong> Kekua\u2019s funeral takes place in Carson, Calif. (The Associated Press puts it in \u201cCarson City, Calif.,\u201d which does not exist.) Te\u2019o skips the funeral, saying Kekua had insisted that he not miss a game (Los Angeles Times<\/em>). Her casket is closed at 9 a.m. Pacific time, according to Te\u2019o. That night, Notre Dame beats Michigan, 13-6, to go to 4-0, the school\u2019s best start in a decade. Te\u2019o intercepts two passes. After the game, he says of Lennay: \u201cAll she wanted was some white roses. So I sent her roses and sent her two picks along with that.\u201d Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly awards the game ball to Lennay Kekua, handing it to Te\u2019o to \u201ctake back to Hawaii.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Photo: Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports<\/address>\n

Te\u2019o issued a statement Wednesday afternoon:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online. We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her. To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone\u2019s sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating. It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother\u2019s death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life. I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about her just makes me sick. I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been. In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people online than I was. Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I\u2019m looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL Draft.\u201d<\/p>\n

Te\u2019o was a Heisman Trophy finalist, finishing second in the voting, and led Notre Dame to its first appearance in the BCS championship.<\/p>\n

Presently, Te\u2019o is training at the IMG Institute in Bradenton, FL in preparation for the NFL draft.\u00a0 He is currently listed as Number 8 on Mel Kiper\u2019s latest draft board.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Notre Dame linebacker Mani Te\u2019o appears to be the victim of an elaborate hoax involving his girlfriend named Lennay Kekua who recently died of leukemia. The school conducted an investigation from December 26th to January 4th, following Te\u2019o’s reports of receiving a call from a woman thought to be Kekua, setting up a scenario where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5,6,7,2,8,24],"tags":[25,15,26,27,28,29],"class_list":["post-10","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anti-aging","category-blogging","category-business","category-empower-network","category-headline-news","category-health-fitness","category-investing","category-sports","tag-college-football","tag-empower-network","tag-hoax","tag-lenay-kekua","tag-manti-teo","tag-notre-dame"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10\/revisions\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/freedomcreator\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}