If your first reaction was “come on, no way!” when you heard about Manti Teo’s “girlfriend,” you were inevitably right in being skeptical as he has now come clean that he was, in fact, in on the hoax. But seriously, who really ever believed that Teo dated a girl that he never actually met?
So the sport psychology questions today range from is he downright crazy, to did he do this solely to raise his profile and generate more attention (especially as he became a Heisman favorite). Without ever having met Teo (and obviously never having the chance to psychologically diagnose him), it would be premature to suggest that he has some deep-seated personality disorder. In fact, there are other variables to consider when examining the Teo hoax, including group dynamics and peer pressures — constructs that often perpetuate behaviors, like lying. For now, it’s probably safest (and most accurate) to simply say his actions were a little bizarre (putting it lightly).
So what does all this mean, anyway? Will NFL teams show less interest in Teo?
No.
Will his life be forever changed (damaged) because of this stunt?
Doubtful.
Will he become the brunt of jokes?
Yes, and he already has in fact, as Saturday Night Live already spoofed him this past weekend
While Teo’s girlfriend lie was incredibly odd, it will likely end up being pretty innocuous. Unless there is a lot more to this guy that proves he needs serious mental health attention, I think most people will chalk this up to a weird thing that happened and move on from it pretty quickly. Right now, as far as his future career in the NFL goes, I don’t think for a second this fake girlfriend story is in any way going to jeopardize his draft status, as all the NFL is looking for is a good player (the role model stuff is a bonus, and not necessary if you can really play the game). Even if his “mental toughness” off the field is questionable, so long as his mental toughness on the field remains like it has at Notre Dame he’ll end up making a perfectly fine future NFL player.
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