re: Manti Te'o Jokes Thread (pics, gifs, memes, teo'ing, etc)

quote:

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This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed a childlike relationship with a character I met at the mall. We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently by letters, and I grew to care deeply about him. To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating. It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother's death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life. I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about Santa Claus just makes me sick. I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been. In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people at the mall than I was. Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I'm looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL Draft.

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