While not saying that Manti Te’o participated in or knew about the hoax that his girlfriend did not exist, a former teammate told ESPN’s Bob Holtzman on Wednesday that players knew the woman wasn’t really his girlfriend even though Te’o played that up as his tragic story was being told. After Deadspin.com broke the hoax story, however, multiple media reports have said players thought that Te’o had only met Lennay once and that it wasn’t really accurate to call her his girlfriend. But as condolences poured in, Te’o “played along,” according to the teammate, who wished to remain anonymous.
Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel says his “mind was blown” when he learned of the Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax. Manziel has gotten to know Te’o, Notre Dame’s Heisman runner-up, while attending various award ceremonies over the last month and a half. Manziel says of the situation: “Nobody could believe that. It was a shock for the entire sports world … and I’m just as shocked as anybody else.”