Deadspin: Manti Te'o's dead girlfriend story was a hoax

"Tough tinsel."

I do kind of like those commercials. Even the Santa Claus one.

 

Did anyone here mention how despicable Couric was for asking Te'o if he's gay? No? Okay.

 

Why is it despicable?

 

I'm hoping that on draft day someone prank calls him in the green room and says they're from Kansas City and they are going to pick him number one.

 

Seemed reasonable to me, too. That theory was out there. I respect her for actually just asking him.

 

This. There was a lot of speculation, including by me on this very thread before we knew what the hell was going on, so it was a perfectly reasonable question. I'm glad she asked.

 

Let me try to understand something. People think Te'o is gay and used "Lennay" to cover it up. He's lied for several months, yet there are posters here who believe Te'o's answer to Couric's question and that settles the issue for them because he would never lie to Katie?

It strikes me as odd that a Katie Couric's interview would now convince those who thought he was gay that he's really straight.

 

I don't really give a shit either way, but...

- By the time she asked him, if she had been following the story, it was pretty clear he was not gay.

- Did she ask him so that he could put the "rumors" to rest?

- In general, reporters do not ask celebrities who prefer to keep their sexuality to themselves if they are gay. I'm guessing Couric has interviewed many celebs rumored to be gay, and has avoided this question.

 

First, for Captain Obvious, the gay rumors surfaced very early on. At least I found it to be plausible, because I thought Te'o's relationship with Tuiasasopo was more than it ended up being. I found it conceivable that he was in a relationship with Tuiasasopo and was using the Lennay story to cover it up. As the story has developed I realize that was not the case. But many still did not believe his story and continued to think he might be gay. I think she just asked it to put the rumors to rest. But I think she knew what the answer would be and wasn't really putting him on the spot. She just gave him a chance to clear up that rumor. Whether people believe him or not is up to them. I do, because it seems he clearly thought he was talking to a woman.

 

The smart way to address it is to say, in advance, "I'm not going to insult you by asking you about your sexual preference, but if you wish to address the subject in any way because of unfounded rumors being spread on the Internet, just work it into the conversation wherever you think it fits. Totally up to you either way."

 

I'm guessing they had that conversation before the interview and he knew the question was coming. I might be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

 

Is the idea that she bullied a 21-year-old kid in a way she would not a, say, 40-year-old movie or pop star?