Just in time for our game with ND

It was crazy at the time, but I never knew the true story

Recommend this Netflix documentary

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/amp/ncaa-football/news/manti-teo-netflix-release-date-trailer-girlfriend/eoe8dsxdzraoplds3iwpzflh

Just watched it as well. Felt for the guy. My take away though was none of it would have happened if Teo had just gone to SC as he had desired.

The same school that lied about some dying sick kid wanting them to win a Football game (was it Knut Rockne (sp?) and Gipper (sp?) or something?). So, lying is nothing new there.

Go Bears!

Feel free to send me a spoiler message. I probably won't watch this. Was/is he gay and ND had to cover that?

With wife and daughter:

bearister said:

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With wife and daughter:

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Oh. Well, my theory appears *****

82gradDLSdad said:

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bearister said:

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With wife and daughter:

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Oh. Well, my theory appears *****

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This was about "catfishing"...big news at the time....had very little to do with the fact that he was at Notre Dame, and could have been anywhere in reality....

mbBear said:

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82gradDLSdad said:

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bearister said:

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With wife and daughter:

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Oh. Well, my theory appears *****

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This was about "catfishing"...big news at the time....had very little to do with the fact that he was at Notre Dame, and could have been anywhere in reality....

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Cal missed their chance. I had never had a girlfriend when I played JV baseball in 1980. Big publicity miss for the bears.

82gradDLSdad said:

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mbBear said:

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82gradDLSdad said:

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bearister said:

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With wife and daughter:

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Oh. Well, my theory appears *****

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This was about "catfishing"...big news at the time....had very little to do with the fact that he was at Notre Dame, and could have been anywhere in reality....

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Cal missed their chance. I had never had a girlfriend when I played JV baseball in 1980. Big publicity miss for the bears.

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you weren't online enough....

mbBear said:

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82gradDLSdad said:

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bearister said:

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With wife and daughter:

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Oh. Well, my theory appears *****

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This was about "catfishing"...big news at the time....had very little to do with the fact that he was at Notre Dame, and could have been anywhere in reality....

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I think that is accurate - most people were naive about the internet in those days. The show was fascinating because of the bizarreness of what happened. Notre Dame freely admits I t pushed the story of his playing the season for his dead grandmother and girl friend, but SC also is a marketing machine and would have done the same thing.

82gradDLSdad said:

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Feel free to send me a spoiler message. I probably won't watch this. Was/is he gay and ND had to cover that?

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This was a common theory at the time (so much so that Katie Couric asked him directly in her interview). But apparently not.

The documentary does imply that he was miserable at notre dame and that if had went to SC he may not have had such a desperation to connect with someone with a similar background

Though your point is taken that in general this definitely could have happened anywhere. I don't think there's anything specific about notre dame that caused this (besides notre dame just being a poor fit for him specifically).

ducky23 said:

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The documentary does imply that he was miserable at notre dame and that if had went to SC he may not have had such a desperation to connect with someone with a similar background

Though your point is taken that in general this definitely could have happened anywhere. I don't think there's anything specific about notre dame that caused this (besides notre dame just being a poor fit for him specifically).

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The story was bigger because he went to ND, who with him as a senior went 12-0, went to National Championship and was a finalist in Heisman

would this have been so big a story and the lose things have happened if he wasn't at ND?

mbBear said:

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82gradDLSdad said:

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mbBear said:

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82gradDLSdad said:

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bearister said:

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With wife and daughter:

---

Oh. Well, my theory appears *****

---

This was about "catfishing"...big news at the time....had very little to do with the fact that he was at Notre Dame, and could have been anywhere in reality....

---

Cal missed their chance. I had never had a girlfriend when I played JV baseball in 1980. Big publicity miss for the bears.

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you weren't online enough....

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I thought I was online when I took that Fortran class using punch cards.

HoopDreams said:

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ducky23 said:

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The documentary does imply that he was miserable at notre dame and that if had went to SC he may not have had such a desperation to connect with someone with a similar background

Though your point is taken that in general this definitely could have happened anywhere. I don't think there's anything specific about notre dame that caused this (besides notre dame just being a poor fit for him specifically).

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The story was bigger because he went to ND, who with him as a senior went 12-0, went to National Championship and was a finalist in Heisman

would this have been so big a story and the lose things have happened if he wasn't at ND?

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I mean sure. I think the point the poster was making was that the actual catfishing could have happened anywhere.

But, yes, the fact it got so big could've probably only had happened at a handful of schools.

Brings back some great memories even related to Cal. Not exactly in outcome, but fun times nonetheless.

Tosh was recruiting Manti as we had entered this era of we can recruit against anyone with Tosh. I found out he was visiting town to see Manti at Punahou, so I arranged for a few alums to have dinner with him. We were mesmerized by his ambition, and his energy got us believing too. I thought we had a decent chance at Manti as well as many other 5 stars Tosh pursued. Tosh even gave us a story about how he saw Charlie Weis pulling up to the Punahou campus in a limo with ND flags waving. File under folder when we were relevant.

Didn't Cal arseholes do this to a SC BBall player?

ducky23 said:

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HoopDreams said:

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ducky23 said:

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The documentary does imply that he was miserable at notre dame and that if had went to SC he may not have had such a desperation to connect with someone with a similar background

Though your point is taken that in general this definitely could have happened anywhere. I don't think there's anything specific about notre dame that caused this (besides notre dame just being a poor fit for him specifically).

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The story was bigger because he went to ND, who with him as a senior went 12-0, went to National Championship and was a finalist in Heisman

would this have been so big a story and the lose things have happened if he wasn't at ND?

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I mean sure. I think the point the poster was making was that the actual catfishing could have happened anywhere.

But, yes, the fact it got so big could've probably only had happened at a handful of schools. Go

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good summation.

burritos said:

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Didn't Cal arseholes do this to a SC BBall player?

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Gabe Pruitt yah the Cal student section was catfishing before catfishing!

KoreAmBear said:

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burritos said:

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Didn't Cal arseholes do this to a SC BBall player?

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Gabe Pruitt yah the Cal student section was catfishing before catfishing!

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Victoria

ducky23 said:

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The documentary does imply that he was miserable at notre dame and that if had went to SC he may not have had such a desperation to connect with someone with a similar background

Though your point is taken that in general this definitely could have happened anywhere. I don't think there's anything specific about notre dame that caused this (besides notre dame just being a poor fit for him specifically).

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Yes, tough for a Samoan kid from Laie at a Catholic school in Indiana. Winters are cold. Just a poor fit. Lonely, homesick kid meets a girl from home on the internet….. then it being Notre Dame it gets huge publicity.

82gradDLSdad said:

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mbBear said:

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82gradDLSdad said:

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mbBear said:

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82gradDLSdad said:

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bearister said:

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With wife and daughter:

---

Oh. Well, my theory appears *****

---

This was about "catfishing"...big news at the time....had very little to do with the fact that he was at Notre Dame, and could have been anywhere in reality....

---

Cal missed their chance. I had never had a girlfriend when I played JV baseball in 1980. Big publicity miss for the bears.

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you weren't online enough....

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I thought I was online when I took that Fortran class using punch cards.

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I woke up one day at Cal covered in punch card, what do I call it, "punch outs?" Yeah, it was pay back LOL

ducky23 said:

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The documentary does imply that he was miserable at notre dame and that if had went to SC he may not have had such a desperation to connect with someone with a similar background

Though your point is taken that in general this definitely could have happened anywhere. I don't think there's anything specific about notre dame that caused this (besides notre dame just being a poor fit for him specifically).

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Right, I meant from a "technological," "systematic" standpoint.
Plus, being a very good player at a very high profile sports school, we heard of the story....probably helped raise some awareness in the long run.

Wow, had no idea the perpetrator was a Tuiasosopo! Crazy story!

After watching this documentary, I think even more that ND will remain independent, at least until they are forced to join a conference, which I don't think will happen for years

Why?

Because they want to continue to be America's team with fans across the country

(And their TV contacts will match or exceed anything that a conference can get them

Manti Te'o will be at the game this Sat:

WATCH: Marcus Freeman on the return of Manti Te’o for the @CalFootball game on Saturday. #NDFootball pic.twitter.com/sTuKcPh2Xv

— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) September 15, 2022