It wasn’t until I received a Facebook message from a friend
of a friend asking if I could help cover a story for USA Today that I started
giving Lennay Kekua any more than a passing thought.
Of course Lennay doesn’t exist. She is the fake girlfriend
of Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te’o. She made for a great story though,
becoming the tragic love interest of one of the most popular college football
players in the country.
But instead of living happily ever after, like in all good
fairy tales, she wound up in a car accident, then contracted leukemia and died.
Te’o told Sports Illustrated and ESPN, among other reputable media outlets,
about his girlfriend’s tragic demise. They all bought it, never once stopping to
ask if she had any family members, friends or classmates who were grieving as
passionately as Te’o.
Te’o claimed he was duped. Writers and editors at Sports
Illustrated claimed they were duped. Reporters and producers at ESPN claimed
they were duped. As the hoax unraveled, a trail led to Palmdale, where the
suspected creator of the fake girlfriend lived.
