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Close to a decade after a catfishing incident, former NFL player Manti Te'o opens up

Aug 20, 2022

Manti Te'o, a former NFL player, gained notoriety as the victim of a sensational catfishing scandal that transformed his life. He shares the emotional impact of losing his grandmother and a fictitious girlfriend within hours, placing him in the media spotlight. Te'o discusses the stigma around catfishing and how it fuels shame among victims, while emphasizing the need for healing through storytelling. He reflects on personal growth and resilience from his experiences in sports and the importance of forgiveness in moving forward.

14:46

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Manti Te’o

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Episode notes

Intro

5min

The Stigma of Catfishing: Understanding the Human Desire for Connection

2min

Navigating Digital Deception and the Path to Healing

3min

The Impact of Media and the Power of Forgiveness

5min

Reflections on Sports and Personal Growth

3min

It's the kind of captivating, complex story that's hard to forget once you hear it. In 2012, star Notre Dame linebacker Manti T'eo's grandmother died. Just hours later, his girlfriend died of leukemia. Rising above the tragedy he seemed unstoppable on the field as Notre Dame went on to a winning season.

But the girlfriend was a hoax. Te'o was the victim of catfishing. He had fallen in love with a fake Facebook profile. In the media frenzy that followed, he went from the golden boy of Notre Dame football to the target of ridicule and attack. In a new documentary on Netflix, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist, Manti Te'o gets the opportunity to tell his full story for the first time in nearly ten years.

Host Michel Martin speaks with Te'o about the scandal and how he overcame it.

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