There has
been a lot of speculation in the past month surrounding former Notre Dame
linebacker Manti Te’o with regards to the apparent hoax that took place prior
to this past season. The details are
still very much so in a gray area with regards to Te’o’s participation and
knowledge of the situation that occurred but that hasn’t stopped the swarm of
media from descending upon him.
“Shutdown
Corner” writer Doug Farrar blogs about urging NFL teams to take a closer look
at Te’o from an ethics standpoint prior to drafting him. There’s no doubt that
something is amiss when it comes to the Te’o story but I’m absolutely positive
that NFL executives didn’t need Doug Farrar to spark their interest on that
particular subject. Long before NFL prospects are drafted they are evaluated
and scrutinized for anything from physical attributes to family history. In today’s
sports world its common courtesy to dig into a professional athlete’s life
especially before investing in a high prospect like Manti Te’o. If there are enough people looking hard
enough it is almost a sure thing to find something unflattering about anyone in
the world and it’s no different with Te’o. Just like the rest of the world, I
personally don’t know exactly what went on involving the hoax that was
supposedly played on Te’o but being a college senior myself I can understand
how a lie or a misperception can snowball into something bigger in a young man’s
life.
The bigger
issue to me is why there has been so much focus on this matter involving Manti
Te’o and his fake girlfriend. I understand that it is an unusual story, but in
reality we’re putting a professional athlete on trial for something that is NOT
illegal and in that case isn’t even a large ethical conundrum. Recently the
sports world has been engulfed by a plague of scandals from steroids to
allegations of bounty hunting, so is Manti Te’o really worth being on the
stand? Is his “crime” up there with Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds? I’m sure
that my life is much different than Te’o’s but regardless of that, this
situation has to be embarrassing for any 22 year old.
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