Manti Te’o has admitted to ABC News’ Katie Couric that he lied to the media after discovering he had been part of elaborate hoax. News of the story broke on January 16 when Deadspin.com reported that his online girlfriend never existed.
Te’o told Couric in a television interview recorded on Tuesday that everything up December was real in his eyes. It was not until two days before the Heisman Trophy Presentation that he received the news he had been tricked. He kept the lie going through the awards ceremony even though he now knew she never existed.
“You stuck to the script. And you knew that something was amiss,” Couric told Te’o.
“Katie, put yourself in my situation,” Te’o responded. “I, my whole world told me that she died on Sept. 12. Everybody knew that. This girl, who I committed myself to, died on Sept. 12.”
“Now I get a phone call on Dec. 6, saying that she’s alive and then I’m going be put on national TV two days later. And to ask me about the same question. You know, what would you do?” said Te’o.
Manti Te’o had to of truly believed he lost the “online love” of his life. The New York Daily News published a story on Wednesday saying they had obtained a September 12 receipt from 1-800-FLOWERS.com from a purchase order made by Te’o. The order was sent to “Kainoa Kekua” for “36 stems of premium white roses.”
The newspaper reported that the message in the flowers read, “My dearest Lennay, although our time together was brief, I feel like I’ve known you all of my life. Till we meet again. I love you, Manti.”
Joining the former Notre Dame star during the interview was his father and mother, Brian and Ottilia.
Couric asked Brian, “”Now many people writing about this are calling your son a liar. They are saying he manipulated the truth, really for personal gain.”
Brian tearfully responded, “People can speculate about what they think he is. I’ve known him 21 years of his life. And he’s not a liar. He’s a kid.”
The full Manti Te’o interview with Katie Couric will air Thursday at 2 p.m. on ABC.
