Former Notre Dame and NFL star Manti Te’o has been the butt of jokes in sports for the better part of a decade after being ‘catfished’ into believing he had a girlfriend who didn’t actually exist.
However, a new Netflix documentary entitled Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist has made waves for showing how negatively the reaction to the story impacted his life and his career.
After seeing the wider sports world change their view on Te’o, the former Heisman Trophy finalist decided to speak up about it. Taking to Instagram, Te’o offered thanks for the love and support he’s received in the wake of the documentary coming out.
“I just want to come on here real quick, just to give a heartfelt thank you to everybody that has come through and has shown so much love to me and my family, for your messages, for your comments,” Te’o in the video. “I’m trying to go through all of them, and it’s been so amazing to me to hear the battles that we’re all facing, the challenges that we’re facing in our lives at this time, and how the documentary has given some of us hope, the extra push just to keep going.”
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Manti Te’o was in his final year of college and in the midst of a Heisman caliber season when he learned that his grandmother and girlfriend died on the same day.
But the girlfriend’s entire existence turned out to be a massive prank at Te’o’s expense, and after the hoax was revealed to the wider world, Te’o became one of the most laughed at people in America.
At the NFL level, Te’o became a second-round pick by the Chargers in 2013 and enjoyed an eight-year playing career.
Te’o has since been married.