"[It was] cruel, true. But it was
never a joke," Tuiasosopo said in
an interview with television psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw. "It hurts
to read all these different reports
about how I had done this not just
to emotionally attack him or hurt
him, but to read that I was trying
to do it to take money from him.
He knows for a fact that's not true."
Tuiasosopo said he developed
romantic feelings for Te'o and
wanted to help him. Why then did
he choose the hours after Te'o's maternal grandmother died to kill off
Kekua's character and add to his
grief?
Gershon offers an explanation
rooted more in logic than in coldhearted deception. She said that
most Samoans in a serious relationship would be expected to send
hundreds of dollars to help pay for
a funeral if a member of their sigHead coach Brian Kelly said the Te'o legacy will be far
more about leadership and being a great teammate dur- nificant other's family passed away.
Tuiasosopo, she says, may simply
ing a special renaissance year than any outside hoax.
Photo by Bill Panzica have run out of convincing lies.
Nov. 23, 2012 — Te'o meets
Tuiasosopo in person at the Notre
Dame team hotel the night before
the Irish beat USC in Los Angeles. Tuiasosopo pretended to be
Kekua's cousin. He would later say
he planned on telling Te'o the full
truth that night, but changed his
mind when Te'o's family showed
up.
✚
Dec. 6, 2012 — While in Orlando to collect a trio of awards,
Te'o gets a call from Kekua. She
tells him she faked her death to
avoid drug dealers and went into
hiding, Te'o's first hint that something was amiss.
Dec. 26, 2012 — Te'o calls Notre
Dame coaches Brian Kelly and
Bob Diaco early in the morning to
tell them that Kekua is still alive
and that he is starting to believe
that he in involved in a hoax.
Jan. 4, 2013 — The independent firm hired by Notre Dame
finishes its investigation. They
determined Kekua is not a real
person and that Te'o was not involved in the hoax. ✚
Jan. 7, 2013 — Notre Dame
loses to Alabama 42-14 in the BCS
National Championship Game.
Te'o's performance is his worst
in years, but he later denied that
the hoax kept him from playing
his best. ✚
