Anyone wondering how Notre Dame football fans really feel about Manti Te’o 10 years after his infamous “catfishing” saga, one 32-second video clip should explain all you need to know.
The former star linebacker for the Fighting Irish presented the U.S. flag to the color guard on the field Saturday before Notre Dame’s game against California. The crowd met Te’o with a thunderous ovation. Te’o’s wife, Jovi, stood with him as he appeared to wipe tears from his eyes during the ceremony.
WATCH: Manti Te’o , wife Jovi by his side, shows his emotions as #NotreDame crowd cheers him loudly during pregame presentation to the color guard. @CalFootball pic.twitter.com/9IqVG2a1cx
— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) September 17, 2022
Te’o endured widespread ridicule in 2012 after he was the victim of a hoax involving an online impersonator pretending to be his girlfriend. That person then conspired with others to convince Te’0 she’d died of leukemia. Even after he learned he’d been scammed, he kept the “dead girlfriend” angle going in media interviews.
Te’o has shared his side of the story in a new Netflix “Untold” documentary, “The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist.” The show has been met with positive reviews and generated great sympathy for the former Notre Dame star. Te’o shared an Instagram video last month thanking fans for the outpouring of support.
“It’s been 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,” he said. “If there’s anything that I wanted from this thing was just to give some of us hope who needed it, to tell those who needed some love that they’re loved, and to help them to forgive.”
A second-round pick by the San Diego Chargers in 2013, Te’o played eight seasons in the NFL.
