By Staci DaSilva
sdasilva@kcautv.com
The University of Notre Dame is on the defense as one of its star players goes under the nationwide microscope.
So, Siouxland, what do you think happened to Notre Dame's All-American linebacker Manti Te'o?
"I believe the guy. I like to give him the benefit of the doubt," said Anthony Rivera, Jr., of Sioux City.
"You have a girlfriend that you've never met and you've never seen before? It's kind of weird," said Nolan Block of Ponca, NE.
"Innocent until proven guilty," pointed out Bill Zabel of Sioux City.
Te'o made very explicit expressions of love for a woman he met online named Lennay Kakua, who he thought died from leukemia back in September.
"She was the most beautiful girl I've ever met," said Te'o in October.
Sometime in December, Te'o found out that the whole relationship was a scam and the girl never existed or so he claims. Others think he may have fabricated the relationship from the beginning.
"If he did, so what? I mean, I see a lot worse things than that," said Bill Zabel.
"He wasn't that well-known until this season. So he's probably just doing it just to get famous, maybe," said Spencer Sinclair, visiting Sioux City from Chino, CA.
Either way, the story brings to light the risk people take when they take to the keyboard to find romance. The act of tricking love interests online is being called "catfishing."
Deb Hale of Catalyst Solutions said, "On the Internet, no one knows for sure who you are. Online dating is dangerous. I don't recommend it. You really need to look for someone that you know and you can see face-to-face and know what type of person they are."
That being said, there are plenty of success stories of people finding long-lasting love online. Hale says the best options are reliable sites like match.com or e-harmony.
Te'o is expected to make a formal statement sometime this week.
