This Manti Te'o story is rather unbelievable. There's so many different story lines to follow and there's more news coming out all the time and there should be more to come.

We know (and I use "know" very loosely. At this point nobody knows anything really we just need some sort of answer and we need something to believe in.) Manti's grandmother passed away, and we know we used the death of his "girlfriend" as a tool to rally his teammates leading them to an undefeated regular season and a trip to the championship game. We know that there is virtually no proof of her existing.

What we think we know is that this chick Lennay Kakua doesn't exist. But ex Arizona Cardinals fullback Reagan Maui'a claims to have met her while doing charity work in America Samoa well before her and Manti were "together".

Manti has come out and said he had no idea. That he was the victim of a hoax. Notre Dame seems to have agreed with him. Supposedly he had received some phone calls from the same number that Kakua had from someone claiming to be her. He later figured out it was all a prank told his parents, coach and athletic director right around Christmas/New Years.

The question I have is how can somebody not know that? It is rather odd that he never met her even though he claimed he had after a Stanford-ND game. It's really strange that someone that is about to be a first round pick in the NFL draft, one that will be paid many million a dollar to read offenses would fall in love with someone playing a prank on them.

I'm not one of these people saying how can you have a girlfriend over the phone and how can you love that person blah blah blah. I do feel like you need to have met in person to call them your girlfriend, but I understand the developing feelings for someone after talking to them nonstop over the phone. Ya you learn things about that person and start to care for them and then that's that. But to have never met the broad even after a Stanford-ND game is very puzzling.

I need to figure out the endgame. On one hand if it's a hoax what stands to be gained by the person pulling the prank? Do they just dislike him? Some sort of past between the two? A crazy broad that he spurned in the past? Maybe one that he already knows and wanted to be with him and wouldn't take no for an answer? If it was a prank pulled on him it's safe to say it was a fat chick on the phone. One she's from Hawaii and two hot chicks have better things to do. But was there some sort of thinking to get some money from him? No chick would set aside this much time to pull a prank. A dude that's not getting laid would but that's about it. If it was a ploy to get money then why did they decide to die of leukemia? So the next logical question is...

What stands to gain for Manti? Could he have been involved? He has to be involved right? If he wasn't involved and he was completely duped into falling for a nonexistent person then how can you actually draft him? I don't care what round it is. If he wasn't involved he is off my draft board completely. If you can't see that coming then there's no effing way you are going to figure out what Tom Brady is running on 3rd down. I really thought he had to know about it until I heard Notre Dame say they wanted to release the story earlier, when Manti brought it to them. Now I just think he's incredibly unaware, just a kid with blinders on like a race horse.

He was a Heisman finalist. He had buzz for the top pick. Why does he have a long distance relationship with some chick he's never actually met? Why isn't he throwing himself on top of every Notre Dame or St. Mary's floozy that comes his way? Honestly, the more I write the more confused I get. 

So we need to sit and wait for more answers, which I'm not sure we will ever get. I can't imagine Manti admitting he knew about it, so unless the person who punk'd the shit out of a dumb kid is going to come out for their 15 minutes of fame, then we might never know any more real details. I just don't understand what stood to gain for either Manti or the person who tricked him.

I will say this though, if nobody comes out and claims that they were the person that tricked him then Manti was in on it all along. In 2013, or at least through 2012, people only seem to care about being famous. Whether it's being known for something good or bad, big or small, people want to be known. So if nobody comes out and says they did it, then it wasn't really a prank. It was him fabricating this story which I also don't understand why he would do it. Only time will tell.

PS. At thank god this story isn't about a bunch of Hawaiin people with difficult names to spell/pronounce. Oh wait nevermind.