Manti Te’o and his parents are scheduled to sit down for an on-air interview with ABC’s Katie Couric this week. The interview, which will be Te’o first appearance on the air since Deadspin broke the news of the hoax last week, will air on Thursday. Te’o’s family has decided to take part in the interview because they too were allegedly duped by Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.
According to USA Today, an anonymous source said that Manti’s mother, Ottilia Te’o, had made contact with Lennay Kekua on several occasions. The family reportedly engaged in bible study together via text message and Ottilia had spoken with Kekua about converting to Mormonism.
Assuming you believe Te’o was completely duped, the fact that his parents are planning to appear on the air with him proves just how deep the hoax went. Kekua — or Tuiasosopo if you believe this report — went to great lengths to gain the trust of the Te’o family. The Te’os are a very religious family, and it’s obvious that the creator of the hoax was well aware of that and used it to his advantage.
