From Michael Vicks dog fighting days, to the sexual abuse of children at Penn State, this decade housed more sports scandals than any other time period in history.
Most recently we have had to deal with the fall from grace of one of sports “good guys,” Manti Te’o. There are some athletes that when their scandals come to light, it is more of a “well, could’ve told you that was coming.” But Te’o shocked the sports world.
Coming into the college football season, nobody’s story was more talked about than Te’o’s. Within a day of each other Te’o lost both his girlfriend and grandmother, but was still able to play that weekend in Notre Dame’s game against Michigan State. He played inspired, and this inspiration continued throughout the entire season. He lead Notre Dame to its first undefeated season since 1966 and a trip to the BCS national championship. Te’o also earned himself a spot as a Heisman finalist, and the Walter Camp Award, which is the top honor for a defensive player in college football. All this, on top of what he dealt with at the beginning of the season, made him one of, if not the most liked player in the country. Then, merely days after the National Championship, the truth came out.
Te’o had never met his supposed girlfriend. They had only communicated over the Internet, even though Te’o told his own father that he had met her in person.
It’s become apparent that Te’o was a victim in a catfishing scheme, but still that is no excuse for how Te’o acted out and overexaggerated the situation. He admitted that to Katie Couric in an interview. He saw the personal gain and the hype that could come from the situation and seized it.
Wouldn’t you do the same? It was free publicity, but after the perseverance and strength we thought Te’o had displayed every college football fan, even those who hate Notre Dame had to respect him. It was almost unthinkable to hear that he had lied. I had held him to a higher standard than that. I thought that he was above lying for personal gain, then I realized that, like myself, he is only human. He’s susceptible to thoughts of fame and fortune like everyone else and this pedestal he was held at is not only unfair to him, but also to all his fans. The media makes people out to look almost perfect, and when people like him fall from grace it’s worse than the rest.
