The timing of the hoax girlfriend revelation could not get any worse for Norte Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, but now all that's left to ask is how it will affect his NFL draft stock.
In a report by Deadspin.com, Te'o was either the victim or fabricator behind the story of his girlfriend's, Leanny Kekua, death. The whole story of a 22-year-old Kekua dying of leukemia turned out to be one big sham as she never even existed.
After initial reports, Te'o issued a statement claiming he was the victim of a social media hoax and he had no knowledge that he was being duped.
This whole hoax may complicate his draft stock being that NFL scouts are left with two possible options: Either Te'o was involved with the hoax, which would take his character down to say a Lance Armstrong level. Or, he was fooled in such a major way that scouts may question his in-game and off-field intelligence.
In addition, teams may wonder, why was Te'o quiet about this hoax if he knew of it for weeks? And finally, how will he explain, or possibly reconcile, the stories indicating that Te'o met Kekua in person?
Te'o was projected to being drafted in the first round , somewhere between 8th and 12th, that would amount to a 4-year deal worth between $10-13 million which includes a signing bonus in the $7-8 million range.
If his stock drops because of this and ends up going later in the first round, his guaranteed money will fall into the $6-9 million range, according to Forbes.com.
Te'o will undoubtedly be asked to elaborate on the hoax to scouts and depending on how he responds can further determine where he'll be drafted.
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