The Curious Case of Manti Te’o

Added on Jan 17, 2013 by Scott in

NFL

With coaching vacancies being filled by the hour and Championship weekend just days away, the NFL has more pressing concerns than the bizarre developments surrounding Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o. That said, with the 2013 Draft drawing closer, Te’o will soon find himself in the crosshairs of personnel departments looking to decipher just who he really is. And it goes without saying that the incident involving his dead/fake girlfriend will be at the forefront of the discussions.

Even before the story broke questioning the existence of Te’o's presumed deceased girlfriend Lennay Kekua, Te’o was deflecting criticism regarding his poor performance versus Alabama in the BCS Championship game. He was slow to the ball and struggled to shed blockers against superior SEC talent. Now to go along with his physical weaknesses, he must deal with dreaded character issues.

While the exact details of the so-called “hoax’ remain sketchy, one thing seems certain: the inspirational leader of the Irish defense and Heisman Trophy runner-up has a lot of explaining to do between now and April. Convincing teams he isn’t a liar and/or a crackpot won’t be fun by any stretch, but it will be necessary to prevent his draft stock from plummeting.

All it takes is one or two negative reports to derail a player’s reputation, be they legal or otherwise. Even though the first-round cash doled out isn’t as steep as it used to be under the old CBA, franchises still don’t want to miss on an opening round pick. There are no sure things when it comes to the draft, but the fewer red flags a player has on his record, the better his standing will be on league-wide draft boards. At this point, Te’o is in full damage control mode.

To be fair, a history of criminal behavior or a series of injuries will draw more attention than an embarrassing personal story. However, Notre Dame and Te’o himself put forth a glowing persona, one built on honesty, hard work and an ability to persevere through tragedy. If this was all a clever guise, Te’o will end up losing a lot more than his pride.