Sep 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers inside linebacker Manti Te’o (50) warms up before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego won 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Manti Te’o has been back in the news again recently after a Netflix documentary introduced more people to his story, and the former Notre Dame star may be looking to capitalize on the renewed interest in his life.
Te’o recently signed a deal with United Talent Agency for representation in all areas, Joe Otterson of Variety reports. UTA is a talent agency based in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The plan is for UTA to help Te’o across a variety of platforms including broadcasting, public speaking, publishing, unscripted television, and audio. It is unclear if there are any specific projects lined up at this time.
Te’o was a star at Notre Dame from 2009-2012. He was the anchor of the 2012 team that played in the national championship game. He then became well known across the country when he became the victim of an elaborate catfishing scheme, which is what the Netflix documentary “Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist” is about.
Sep 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers inside linebacker Manti Te’o (50) warms up before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego won 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Manti Te’o was welcomed back to Notre Dame on Saturday and got quite the response from the home fans.
Te’o on Saturday made his first public appearance at a Notre Dame game since 2012, when he last played for the Fighting Irish. He was welcomed back to present the colors prior to the team’s game against California, and was warmly greeted by fans.
The reception was even more rousing inside the stadium when he was introduced. Te’o was given an enormous reception, and appeared to be wiping away tears over the crowd’s reaction.
A thunderous applause from the Notre Dame faithful as Manti Teo presents the colors pregame.
Te’o was a star linebacker for Notre Dame from 2009 to 2012, and was the anchor of the 2012 team that played in the National Championship game. Ultimately, the end of his career was overshadowed by the infamous fake girlfriend hoax that he was still hearing about years later. A recent Netflix documentary about the hoax revived interest in the story, however, and painted a more sympathetic picture of Te’o’s role in the fiasco.
Notre Dame is off to an 0-2 start, so perhaps Te’o’s return will help get the team moving in the right direction.
ESPN aired a high school football showcase game involving a school that is not real, and Manti Te’o ended up getting dragged into the mix.
Over the weekend, ESPN aired several high school football games involving programs with top recruits. Somehow, a school called Bishop Sycamore found its way in one of the games. They got smashed 58-0.
And we’ll come to see whether people keep getting duped by Bishop Sycamore in the future. Their football future doesn’t seem as bright as Te’o’s career was.
Training camps have officially opened across the NFL, and that means at least 90 players on every single team are vying for a spot on the regular season 53-man roster. Some spots may be more set in stone than others, but everyone has a real chance to make an impression.
For rookies and other young players, that breeds excitement. On the opposite end of that spectrum, it could also mean the end for several aging players and long-time veterans.
Here’s a look at 15 NFL veterans who are on the bubble as training camps get underway.
15. Michael Johnson, DE, Cincinnati Bengals
Michael Johnson has meant a lot to the Bengals during his two stints with the team and was even their Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2017. However, the NFL is a business, and at 31 years old with a diminishing snap count and a cap hit of over $6.1 million, his time in Cincinnati may be nearing an end. The Bengals have young players like Sam Hubbard, Jordan Willis and Carl Lawson who will push Johnson for playing time and likely render him expendable.
New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams may have had a chance to seal a win for his team on Sunday, but Manti Te’o was quick to remind reporters that Williams did not lose the game by himself.
Williams, who inexplicably missed a tackle that allowed Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs to break free for a game-winning touchdown, was hard on himself after the game. The rookie’s teammates defended him, most notably Te’o.
“He’s going to have so many opportunities, and he’s going to make so many great plays in the future,” Te’o said, via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune. “Everybody makes mistakes, and it wasn’t even him, you know what I mean? It wasn’t just him. He didn’t lose that game. I could’ve done a whole lot of things better. I could’ve made more tackles, I could’ve ran through gaps and made some TFLs, I could’ve done a lot of stuff. It wasn’t Marcus.
Williams had a great rookie season, recording 73 tackles and four interceptions. The second-round pick’s solid play was one of the main reasons the Saints finally had a viable secondary after struggling on defense for years.
“Marcus is a great player. He’s a young player, and he has a bright future ahead of him,” Te’o added. “He’s going to make more great plays than mistakes, and I’m just excited for the kid. He’s going to come back, and he’s going to get better. He’s really already ahead of his time as far as how he plays safety. Now, you add a lot of motivation to that. The sky’s the limit for him, and I’m glad that he’s my safety.”
Williams was reportedly crying in the locker room after the game, and it’s good to see his teammates pick him up after the way fans tore him apart on Twitter. That play will stick with him forever, but he’s young enough where he should have some chances for redemption.
The injury bug just won’t stop chowing down on the San Diego Chargers.
Fourth-year linebacker Manti Te’o hurt his left Achilles in the first quarter of Sunday’s contest against the Indianapolis Colts and was forced to exit early. He appeared to suffer the injury on a play of the dreaded non-contact variety.
San Diego has already lost both running back Branden Oliver and tight end Jeff Cumberland to Achilles tears just this year alone. That’s not even to mention the season-ending injuries suffered by wide receiver Keenan Allen and running back Danny Woodhead in consecutive weeks. An extended absence from Te’o, who was actually been a rock-solid defensive contributor since being drafted by the Chargers in 2013, would be another gut punch to a San Diego team that has already had to endure a season full of them.
San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te’o appears to be in a relationship, and all indications are that his new girlfriend is a living, breathing person.
A video posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ѕnapcнaт:jovιвaвy1 (@joviniicole) on
If Te’o has been keeping the relationship a secret, who can blame him? We all remember the fake girlfriend hoax that Te’o has basically been getting harassed about since he was in college. Those who need a refresher can read more about that situation here.
Te’o appeared in 12 games for the Chargers this season and recorded 83 total tackles. We’re glad to see at least one young lady was able to brush the fake girlfriend stuff aside.
“I got harassed a few times last year (on the field). I expected that. But this year?” Te’o said Monday. “I told him, ‘Find a new joke.’ ”
We reward players for new and original material, as well as creativity. Davis receives low marks on all accounts. However, he did not get a chance to play Te’o last year and probably had this saved up. Plus, the goal is to get inside your opponent’s head. If Davis accomplished that, then the joke was worthwhile.
For those of you who were wondering if Manti Te’o still catches flak for the whole fake girlfriend fiasco from nearly two years ago, San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis has your answer.
A day after the San Diego Chargers defeated the Niners, Davis revealed that he asked Te’o about his fake girlfriend during the game. He claims the former Notre Dame star “snapped.”
I asked Manti Teo about his imaginary Girlfriend last night and he snapped. lol I thought that was hilarious.
Considering how the game unfolded, it’s kind of lame for Davis to tweet something like that. The Chargers erased a 28-point lead to stun the 49ers and beat them 38-35 in overtime. Niners fans would probably appreciate Davis’ jab at Te’o more if their team won.
That said, Davis proved that Te’o hears about the girlfriend hoax from opposing players — not just crazy collections of fans like this one. The story of Lennay Kekua was one of the most bizarre things we have ever encountered in sports. Te’o will probably hear about it for the rest of his career.
Oakland Raiders fans decided to have some fun with San Diego Chargers rookie linebacker Manti Te’o on Sunday night. Fans in the infamous Black Hole had a banner made that was a tribute to Te’o’s fake girlfriend Lennay Kekua, whose “death” supposedly occurred on Sept. 12, 2012. They also completed the set of Te’o taunts by holding a cutout of Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who later admitted to masterminding the Te’o hoax. At some point these jokes will get old, but apparently we haven’t hit that point yet. Te’o actually played fairly well and was credited with five tackles in the loss, which marked his second career game.
