A Letter to Manti Te’o

                Ever since the news broke Wednesday afternoon, countless articles have been written about the Manti Te’o fake girlfriend drama. With all the details that each piece of writing brings forth it has become difficult to follow along. The following however is not a lengthy descriptive manuscript like the others. Obviously Te’o needs someone to give him some advice during this trying time in his life, so I volunteer myself. Manti if you somehow read this one day and follow in my preaching, feel free to throw some of that lucrative NFL money my way.

Dear Manti,

                You and I are really similar. How you might ask? Well we both are girlfriend-less individuals who struggle at tackling. We should hit the town together!  I heard South Bend is hopping on the weekends.

                Your character, as well as your skill, is now in question. What you were a Heisman trophy finalist? Yes I know that, but seriously dude did you see yourself against Alabama? No. Wait that is another similarity we share because I did not see you either during that game. I am just playing with you big guy, just like you played all of us.

                Nowadays, everywhere I turn I see your face. I have never seen grown men so caught up in reading Sports Illustrated except for when the swimsuit edition makes its illustrious appearance once a year. The media loves you man. You are the Lance Armstrong or Mark McGwire of going along with having a fake girlfriend. I do not know how big of a role you played in this whole saga. I am not here to judge. Oh wait, I am.

                You my friend are either the most naïve son of gun I know, or the stupidest human being I know; I am choosing the later just for the record. You are telling me, and the rest of the world, that you did not know that Lennay Kekua was as real as Winnie the Pooh. You are telling me that all your tweets and heartfelt interviews were about someone you truly thought was real. Come on Ti. Can I call you Ti?

                I get it. You are a college male. We all do some kind of, let’s call it playful fibbing, about the women we wish we had in our lives. The problem is this, you or whichever distant relative you want to blame, killed her off. Leukemia bro? Seriously. Out of all the ways one can die you chose to kill her with a disease that affects hundreds of thousands of people. A disease Chuck Pagano has truly battled this past NFL season. Was saying that falling off a cliff to her death too extreme?

                You will say that you had no part in this and that YOU were the victim of a hoax. Give me a break. Nobody in their right mind, that is not a diehard Notre Dame fan, believes you.

                You have destroyed your image. The jokes that are made about you now are downright hilarious. Like: my teacher asked me for my homework and I said I did not have it. I told her it was at Manti Te’o’s girlfriend’s house. I know you were just lol-ing when you were reading that. Cheer up though. You can get through this by following my simple steps. Just call me your life coach.

                First, come out and hold a press conference. Stop hiding in your snug South Bend apartment and address the media. We have all learned that you adore the spotlight. State that you indeed were a part of this. Apologize for all the pain you caused. Become the face of leukemia research because you owe all the people that battle the dreaded disease an apology too. Finally, move on. Simple enough for you?

                Sure you will be hounded forever. People will make fun of you until the day you pass away. The Te’o fake girlfriend jokes will bring us laughs for years. I hope you watch the Marquette-Notre Dame basketball game on March 2nd, I will be the one with the plain white poster that says “Manti Te’o’s girlfriend” over it. Still you can make a name for yourself in a positive fashion. You can transform from Manti Te’o the fake girlfriend killer to Manti Te’o the stud NFL linebacker who also killed off his fake girlfriend.

                You my friend have turned from a Rudy-like folk hero, to a fraud. I know you might deny your involvement for the rest of your life, but just give it up. Throw in the towel and admit defeat. You can move on from this and you will if you follow my image recovery steps.

Look forward to seeing you play on Sundays.

Best Regards,

Nick Kapetan

P.S.  If your football career does not work out, you should become a soap opera writer. They get paid a decent wage to kill off people for a living. 

The Most Famous Fake Girlfriend In History

                Lance Armstrong is one of the happiest men on this earth. The man who just admitted to using performance enhancing drugs to succeed as a cyclist could not have picked a better time to take a seat with Oprah for a chat about his past. Last afternoon the website Deadspin.com dropped a bomb on not just the sporting world but the world in general. Manti Te’o, the All-American linebacker from University of Notre Dame, was accused of being a part of a hoax in which he created a fake girlfriend, by the name of Lennay Kekua.

                Let us get this straight first: Manti Te’o is a decent football player, but fantastic would not be the proper adjective to use. He had a horrendous performance in the National Championship Game against Alabama where he looked like a chicken with its head cut off. Still, the man became a folk hero in this country. What he lacked in physical ability he made up in “courage” especially after he played in a game hours after his grandma and girlfriend died.

                Lost in this whole saga is that Te’o’s grandma did indeed die, unless that was made up too. What is for certain is that the girlfriend was not real. She did not exist. This is one hundred percent fact. The big question is if Manti Te’o holds any responsibility.

                I have never had a serious girlfriend before in my life, so I do not know what exactly goes on in a relationship. However, I have been the third wheel on numerous dates. I understand somewhat about loving relationships, which is how Te’o described his association with Kekua.

                When Lennay Kekua was “sick” with leukemia, Te’o did not go to see her. When Kekua was in a car accident, Te’o was not there holding her hand in the hospital room. Yes a long distance relationship is hard to do, but if someone I loved was struck with a terrible disease or was on their death bed, I would drop everything to be with them. Wouldn’t you?

                Te’o stated numerous times on Twitter how much he loved Lennay and how she was an inspiration to him. He was in love with a girl that he has since admitted did not exist. Now this would not have been that big of a deal if it the plot was just that Manti got tricked in a sick ploy by someone on the internet. But that is far from what actually happened.

                Details have been all over the internet on this drama. Everything from former Arizona Cardinals fullback Reagan Mauia stating he actually knows the alleged girl to allegations that another woman’s photo was used for the fake Twitter account.

                If there is a single take away from this story it is this: we live in a world that someone will do anything to get attention.

                The sporting world especially is about image. Look at Nyjer Morgan with his T-Plush alter ego. Countless athletes will try to win over the public by doing something, some kind of tactic to stand out. Te’o allegedly used the fake girlfriend route.

                 He went on countless national television shows to talk about the “love of his life”. His image is what he used to garnish the attention that put him in New York for the Heisman trophy ceremony.

                Was he a top linebacker in college football? Yes. Was he a top player regardless of position? No. Manti Te’o became a household name due to a hoax. Te’o is like that guy that walks around college campuses saying that he “hooked up with all the hotties” leading him to be  labeled as a player, but has never even come in close proximity to a female on the weekends.

                Te’o thrived off of a lie. It may not be a hundred percent clear if he was in on the scam, but he profited off it. In a way he is just like Lance Armstrong. He made a name for himself through an unethical method. And for that, he should be held accountable.

Follow Nick Kapetan on Twitter @KapN93 and The Sports ReKap @TheSportsReKap

Better Than Advertised

     Do not lie to yourself. If you predicted before the season started that Marquette would start 3-0 in conference than you should start looking up times for the confession session at whatever religious structure you preach at.

     If you predicted that Marquette would have beaten a ranked Georgetown team, Pittsburgh on the road, and Connecticut than you are just kidding yourself.

     A team that came into the season without a true scoring threat has found one in the ever inconsistent Vander Blue. Davante Gardner has transformed into a solid rock down low that has college basketball fans comparing him to the late great Robert “Tractor” Traylor.

     To fill the enormous void Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom left after being drafted, Coach Buzz Williams has formed the deepest team the program has had since the early 2000s. Everyone from the gritty veteran Chris O'Tule to the youngster Steve Taylor Jr has contributed. Even a once non-existent presence on the floor from California is playing key minutes for the Golden Eagles.

     Juan Anderson, the sophomore from Oakland, has fit in well in his new role as a starter. His defense has improved drastically and he is proving doubters wrong with his occasional offensive outbursts. I would be the first to admit it: I absolutely saw no purpose in putting Anderson on the court. You could even label me as the leader of the "Cut Juan Anderson" movement. After watching the first fifteen games this season, I've had a change of heart.

     A guy whose production his freshman year was comparable to Marquette fanatic Hall of Famer Rob Frozena, has transformed into an athletic defender who provides key help defense.

     Do not get me wrong, this is not a championship team. For every strength this team has, they have a weakness.

     For every big shot Junior Cadougan makes, he throws a ball twenty rows deep. For every step back jumper Jamil Wilson makes, he misses the next three. The defense shuts down the most elite opponents but, as seen in the last 1.2 seconds of regulation against Pittsburgh, they could let up a crucial three pointer.  

     At times this team looks like a Sweet Sixteen contender and at other times they look like one that would be lucky to make the NIT (just see the Wisconsin-Green Bay game box score).

     Trent Lockett looks at times like an intoxicated college freshman on a Friday night that strayed off to 23rd and Wells, not knowing where they are. Then there are the issues off the court.

     Can there be one year where nobody violates a "team rule"? That lack of discipline at times shows itself on the court. Luckily this team is led by one of the best coaches in the country.

     With Buzz at the helm the sky is the limit for this group of overachieving players. It will be a roller coaster ride, but the Golden Eagles can build off of this early season success that NOBODY predicted would happen.