By: Channel 9 Eyewitness News
news@kcautv.com
A bizarre story about a star Notre Dame football player and the death of his girlfriend. It turns out she never existed.
Manti Te'o, Notre Dame's star linebacker, and now the victim of an incredible hoax. Last September he mourned the death of both his grandmother and the person he called the love of his life - girlfriend Lennay Kukua, just six hours later.
Keeping his promise to Kekua not to miss a game, Te'O went on to lead the Fighting Irish to a series of victories that also catapulted him to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
Now it turns out, Lennay Kekua did not exist. The story was first reported on the sports website deadspin.com. Notre Dame then admitted it had launched an investigation in December and determined in early January Te'O was the victim of a hoax
Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick had this to say: "This was a very elaborate, very sophisticated hoax perpetrated for reasons we can't fully understand. It had certain cruelty at its core."
Swarbrick said Te'o's relationship with Kekua was only online and only over the phone. They never met. He said Te'O has been tragically impacted by these events.
"[The] thing I'm most sad about (cries) that the single most trusting human being I have ever met will not be able to trust again in his life," Swarbrick said.
Swarbrick said Manti Te'O is expected to talk about the hoax in the next few days.
