So without further ado, below is a timeline of all the events that I have been able to record (and most importantly, source) in order to help keep everything straight. Each event has a link associated with it so everyone can confirm the dates and my reasoning why I approximated certain dates/times like I did (as exact dates were not given for all events).

I will continue to update this timeline with any updates as they come my way. Feel free to fire away in the comments if I missed something (and please source via a link).

Manti Te’o Hoax: Timeline

Manti Te’o Hoax: What We Know

Manti Te’o Lied

Let’s just get this out of the way right now: Manti lied. He said so himself.

This likely can account for some of the discrepancies in some dates (e.g. when he started to date Lennay) as well as some of the details of the relationship. Considering he lied to his father, Brian Te’o, this might also account for why the South Bend Tribune article contains so many details that just didn’t happen. Even Eric Hansen, who wrote that piece, seemed beyond confused about this while asking questions during Swarbrick’s presser.

The bottom line though is that Manti made things a lot harder for himself by embellishing any details about his relationship with Lennay. There likely wouldn’t be nearly as much backlash and doubt on him if he had been truthful the whole time.

Manti Te’o Fell Victim to This Hoax

Despite the lies, Te’o is still a victim in the hoax. I’ve caught some flack on Twitter about this stance, but I think some people misunderstand what is means to be victimized in this case.

Let’s say I get one of those Nigerian scam emails or something like it and fall for it. I hand over money and rationalize it to my family and friends that I’ve met this person before and felt they were honest when they spoke to me. Later I realize I’m duped and cry foul play. Despite my obvious lie, I still got scammed. Just because I used poor judgement in talking to others and lying about the situation doesn’t change that fact.

With all the evidence now in front of us, Manti definitely believed Lennay was real (even up to the point until Ronaiah confessed to him just a few days ago!). He feel for the hoax. He might not have helped himself out when he lied to his dad, but the fact remains that he got suckered.

The Notre Dame Investigation Leaves a Lot to Be Desired

Perhaps one of the more shocking developments has been how the South Bend Tribune described this investigation:

The investigation ordered by Notre Dame was limited to the electronic search, Brown said. Investigators did not interview Te’o or his family, nor did anyone attempt to contact Ronaiah Tuiasosopo or any of his relatives.

In response to questions, university officials said the investigators did not examine cell phone records, e-mails or other electronic communication to determine the length or extent of Te’o’s communication over the past few years with the person claiming to be Lennay Kekua, nor did the university ask Te’o to take a lie detector test.

I assume that the University wished to protect Te’o’s privacy and just find any other evidence related to this hoax. This seems a bit odd to me, but I’m not even going to try and hypothesize on what Notre Dame decided in regards to any privacy issues.

The bottom line here is that Notre Dame was given enough information via Twitter alone that this was a hoax. I definitely wish phone records at the very least would be released, but it is what it is.

Notre Dame Knew About the Hoax When They Said They Did

Thus far, there has been no evidence to suggest that Notre Dame and its athletic department knew about the hoax any earlier than December 26, 2012.

There have also been many allegations and assumptions that Notre Dame somehow knew about the hoax and used it to help promote Manti. This of course, is traced back to the Michigan State and later the Michigan game. However, there is no proof of this. Again from the SBT:

Brown said university leaders have never had any reason to doubt Te’o or his word, and never had concerns that the extent of Te’o’s relationship with the dead “girlfriend” was overstated last fall.

The wearing of leis and chants of “Man-ti Te’o!” by fans during games was a grassroots phenomenon, Brown said. “It was not orchestrated by the university in any way,” he said. “We’ve looked back as an institution to ask, did we push that story as a tragedy? We don’t think we did,” he said.

And, on our end, I can confirm this when HLS decided to become involved with the “Leis For Manti” movement. I had members of TNNDN reach out to me back in September via Twitter and I decided to move forward based on those tweets. No one from any official Notre Dame channels ever contacted myself or HLS about promoting this movement.

The fans drove it and helped make it a success along with members of Student Organizations like the Leprechaun Legion whom operate outside the chain of command within the Athletic Department. Manti’s performance that night against Michigan and the success of the campaign helped to add even more visibility to the story.

If Notre Dame knew about this, evidence would have already come to light. Anything suggesting anything of the sort has been conjecture and opinion.

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo Is the Ringleader of the Hoax

Deadspin, any source that’s come to ESPN, Manti Te’o, and Ronaiah Tuiasosopo himself have confirmed this. There are other people involved, but Ronaiah remains at the center of it all.

Manti Te’o Hoax: What We Don’t Know

The Other People Involved with the Hoax

There are at least two others (one male, one female), but their identities haven’t been released as of yet. At this point, we likely won’t ever know until Ronaiah details his hoax.

Who Played Lennay on the Phone

Manti Te’o, Brian Te’o, and even Carlo Calabrese’s mom have all talked to someone claiming to be Lennay on the phone. But the identity of this person? Completely unknown.

How Brian Te’o Came Up with All the Details in the South Bend Tribune Story in October

Yes, we know Te’o lied to his father, but only about meeting her while in Hawaii. Where did the rest of the story come from? There’s details of a meeting during a 2009 Stanford game (which we now know as the wrong Stanford game (misunderstanding or another falsehood?) and Brain said there were multiple meetings with Lennay and his son.

Perhaps Manti failed to detail all the lies he told to his father or Brian further embellished the stories when the SBT called. Either way the only things we know for sure about this story is that the details came from Brian (Eric Hansen said this during a question at Swarbrick’s presser) and the erroneous facts presented in that article still need explanation.

[Update: 1/20 10:00pm ET] Move this into the “What We Know” column. Brian Te’o has cleared up his quotes with Hansen:

Brian Te’o was contrite about the misunderstanding, Hiltzik said.

“The statement included the qualification ‘as I understand it’ because it was based on information from a source later revealed to be Lennay’s (fake) brother.” “It’s sad,” Hiltzik added, “that well-regarded journalists like Eric, who are just trying to do their jobs, have joined the list of victims of this complex web of deceit.”

“I appreciate Brian Te’o setting the record straight,” Hansen said.

Who in the World Gave Deadspin Their “80%” Quote and What It Was Based On

Honestly, I don’t want to try to rake Deadspin through the mud. I’m not that petty. They broke the story and they got it largely right.

However, what they got dead wrong was the quote about a source being “80% sure” that Manti was in on this. I only harp on this because not only was Deadspin’s story the first narrative out, but that 80% quote has stuck for a lot of people.

I’m curious as to who feed them that line and what they based it on. Perhaps the source was referring to Manti’s lies to his father and the details about his relationship. Maybe the source simply got it wrong or based it on information they didn’t know it was false. Or, quite possibly, the source was full of shit and pulled the wool over Deadspin’s eyes.

Either way, of all things listed here, this is one thing I don’t ever expect to find out.

[Update: 1/20 10:12pm ET] Totally missed this in the media whirlwind, but J.R. Vaosa was one of the Deadspin sources and they confirmed it:

Another one of Smith’s sources, a man named J.R. Vaosa, spoke to us for our original story, saying Tuiasosopo had confessed to his best friend. He tried to put us in touch with her, to no avail. Vaosa was one of our two unnamed sources who believed that Tuiasosopo had been in league with Te’o in the deception.

Te’o’s role in the hoax remains the biggest unanswered question. Notre Dame’s investigators said they were certain that Te’o had no knowledge of the hoax before he received a phone call from the number he’d known as Lennay’s on Dec. 6. (Regarding the confession’s timing: Tweets accusing Ronaiah of masterminding the whole thing surfaced on Dec. 4.) But Vaoso, whose cousin had been duped by Lennay/Tuiasosopo in for a month in 2008, said he was “80 percent” certain that Te’o had known of the hoax at some point before Lennay’s “death.”

I’d still like to know what Vaosa based his initial quote on. Especially since they told ESPN the following:

“When I found out about the Samoan football player (and) his girlfriend, his Grandma died the same day, I was like, ‘Whoa this is crazy,’ I feel so bad for him, so I just looked him up,” Vaosa said. “I found out his girlfriend’s name was Lennay Kekua. And right when I read the name Lennay Kekua, I immediately thought of Ronaiah. Then I thought of my cousin — that this has to be the same person.”

The cousins said they were convinced Te’o was being victimized, but they were uncertain of what to do. They said they began tweeting their suspicions. Many of their tweets were laced with sarcasm including claims that they were the real Lennay Kekua. After Deadspin.com broke the story on Te’o and Swarbrick held a news conference, Vaosa and Tuioti-Mariner found reporters at their door and said threats were made to them and their families on Twitter.

The post The Te’o Hoax: A Timeline, What We Know, What We Don’t Know appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

While my girlfriend never attended ND nor was ever a fan until she met me, she was still excited for her second game at Notre Dame Stadium (both of which were under the lights). Even though her best friend was celebrating nuptuals, here she was, looking for something new to wear into ND Stadium the next day.

Eventually, she came across a selection of Irish jerseys and asked “Who is #5 on your team?”

I don’t fault her for not knowing. She does well to keep up with the basics of our football team, but doesn’t exactly have the numerical roster down yet.

“Either Manti Te’o, our star linebacker, or Everett Golson, our quarterback.”

After a quick conversation as to why the NCAA allows two players on the same team to wear the same number, she finally makes a connection.

“Wait…that Te’o guy is the one we are wearing the leis for right?”

“Yes.”

“I want to get this.”

This should’ve been signal number one that this weekend would be unlike any other. To be honest tough, I was simply too damned excited that my girlfriend decided to wear a jersey in support of a specific player instead of just a shirt she liked that happened to have something Notre Dame on it. It’s was her first true step of Irish fandom, whether she chose to admit it or not.

Friday came and went and I couldn’t get in the car fast enough to make my way to South Bend. After all, there is serious tailgating to be done and I want to drink beer with my fellow Domers instead of being on the road for four hours.

As we started to make our way to some fellow Otters, I was immediately struck by the sheer amount of leis already out in the lots. Not just by fans either. Some of the security guards and parking attendants had donned the flowers as well. About every other person I pass has a lei on. I even have some random guy tap me on the shoulder so he could tell me that he thought wearing the leis was awesome.

I turn around and see he is a Michigan fan and immediately feel dirty, but still…even the enemy is on board with our show of support.

Tailgating itself is rather uneventful. Just a bit of rain sending everyone running for cover. Shotgunning beers on the front porch of Sorin. ND fans going Gangnam style. You know, the usual.

However, the main event was creeping ever closer. We made our way to our seats and again, I noticed something completely different.

The ushers.

The new captain passed by our seats, welcomed everyone to Notre Dame and said, “I hope everyone here is ready to stand and yell.” Wait…what?! Could the “Take a StaND” campaign actually be having an effect?

No more than five minutes later do I see a different usher handing out leis to fans in my section. I couldn’t help but think to myself that this used to be the same crew that attempted to convince us all that marshmallows were deadly weapons and here they are handing out something that could actually be used to choke someone.

Even better, on the first TV timeout, yet another usher turned to us after the majority of the section sat down, “Why is this section a morgue?” Later on during the game, the ushers were waving their hands in the air to get everyone on their feet.

It was great. I usually feel bad for standing up so much, but not in this environment. I was being encouraged to be a fan for a change. No one in my section was about to complain to an usher for me to park it, not after he just admonished us all for being quiet during a TV timeout. No one said a word to me either, not even quiet mumbling behind my back. I loved every minute of it.

And then there was the music, piped in or from the band. Firstly, kicking off the game with the “Here Comes the Irish” vocals followed by “Shipping Up to Boston” simultaneously gives me chills and makes me want to run through a wall. Unlike my previous experience in which no one knew how to react to the music, people got into it, especially the students.

While alumni can certainly debate the merits of piped-in music in the stadium, there is no doubt the current student body has embraced the change with drunken dancing glee.

The band found themselves in a larger role this time around. Piped-in music was axed for TV timeouts, forcing the band to again fill the silence. It works well at times, but I found myself severely thrown off by what sounded like an electric bass amped up to 11 and what I thought sounded like a mic’d drum kit. I found the bass player, but couldn’t see if there was a drum kit or if my ears were playing tricks on me.

Regardless, it definitely gave the band a different sound. Not sure quite how I feel about it as it seemed to drown every other instrument out, but then again, my proximity to them likely didn’t help.

As I became acquainted with my new environment, my focus shifted to the game, which immediately slapped me in the face when Golson threw an INT that I saw coming a mile away. Thankfully, the defense stepped up and the opening riff of “Welcome to the Jungle” blared through the Stadium PA to remind fans ND wasn’t dead yet and neither should they.

The rest of the game is almost a blur — partially because every Michigan play seemed to result in a turnover and partially because every play that Tommy was under center I spent praying that he gave whatever 2011 voodoo hex was on him to Denard and it wouldn’t come back to our sideline. It seemed that every time I looked back to the clock 4+ minutes had passed.

However, near the end of the game, time almost stood still.

As Michigan started to drive down the field and found their way into the redzone yet again, you could feel the crowd and defense both tire. For the first time all game, my usual “here we go again #NDFBIsDeterminedToKillMe” started to creep in. Then, Michigan called a timeout on 3rd and goal and the band did something incredible.

They played “Crazy Train”.

The worried crowd seemed to come back to life a bit via laughter. That damned song is forever burned into my mind thanks to an awful experience at last year’s USC game. Since then, it’s been a bit to laugh at. I’m not sure whether the band intentionally did this or not, but I’m sure however was in charge of the stadium PA did:

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL ABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARD….”

Ozzy rang through the speakers and I’ll be damned if the crowd didn’t react with noise as the defense came back on the field. The song that was once a nightmarish joke was being used to exorcise our demons.

Incomplete Pass. Field Goal. Irish ball. Game iced. Victory formation.

Then as the celebration commenced, Notre Dame happened. I can’t describe it as anything else.

Manti Te’o jubilantly ran towards the student section and saluted them. The students responded by holding up five with one hand and waving the leis they were once waving in the other. Te’o jumped into the student section and others followed in celebration.

Yes, the senior class finally beat Michigan. Yes, Notre Dame finally got vengeance from their embarassing loss under the lights to Michigan last season. Yes, the demons from the last year’s night game at ND Stadium seemed to be vanquished.

This celebration was so much more. This was a celebration of the Notre Dame family coming together to honor and support one of their own. From the leis worn in the stands down to the female student managers that put a single hibiscus in their hair, there was zero doubt that we were all unified in support of Te’o.

It was “We Are ND” personified.

No doubt was left when the alma mater was sung. I may have heard louder crowds at ND Stadium before, but I have never heard the alma mater sung so loudly and clear. The echos were truly awoken as “Notre Dame, Our Mother” resonated through the stadium, bringing a tear to my eye.

As if that wasn’t enough, the stadium PA had one final brush stroke to complete this masterpiece:

We were being played out as if we were closing down the ‘Backer. And much like how those nights end, the crowd lingered to soak in the moment and dance just a little bit longer.

Even as I exited the stadium, the celebration continued in ways that I have never seen before. As we approached the “E” gate, I noticed that the seniors were sprinting and cheering down an impromptu and accidental fan made tunnel. No one wanted to block them, everyone wanted to watch their joy as the Irish went 4-0 for the first time in a decade.

What a night indeed.

The post Oh What a Night appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

He went into battle last week on the road, away from his family and away form the Notre Dame family. This weekend, it’s time for the Notre Dame family to return the favor.

Personally, I will be traveling to the game and I am putting my money where my mouth is:

That’s 24 leis coming my way for both myself and my friends in support of Manti Te’o. I’m not messing around here.

So to all members of the ND Family reading this, please take a staND and show your support with this simple gesture. I don’t care if you order via Amazon, find one at a local party store, or grab one from a friend while tailgating (if I have extras and you find me, I’ll gladly provide one).

When I look out into the stands on Saturday night, I want to see tens of thousands of leis as Te’o leads the Irish in complete domination of the Skunkbears. Let’s do this!

Courtesy of @TNNDN via @_Breaking_Brad

UPDATE: The folks over at TNNDN have informed me that they will have 500 leis for sale. You can find representitives on God Quad, just outside LaFortune tomorrow and Thursday from 3:30-5:30pm. 100% of the proceeds will go to Relay for Life. You can also drop by their site and donate. They are shooting for $5000 by November 25th — let’s get them there!

COMPLIANCE UPDATE: While I hope this won’t actually turn into an issue, just a friendly reminder to not be stupid about this. Please do not brand these leis with Manti Te’o’s (or any other athlete’s) name/likeness or use it in any way (especially if you decide to sell them). Further, don’t give any leis away to any potential recruits — yes, I know that sounds beyond dumb, but those are the NCAA rules and the NCAA rules can be rather…um…illogical (being nice here). Should be simple enough rules to follow!

FURTHER CHARITY UPDATE: Team Kicking Asphalt, a Chicago Marathon Team (not official with ND, but comprised of Domers), are raising money for the American Cancer Society. You can donate via their website or you can find them circulating the tailgating lots Saturday selling raffle tickets in these fancy shirts. They will likely be hanging around the Legends area, but will also try to circulate around the stadium lot. Plenty of chances to donate to worthy causes!

The post Support Manti Te’o: Get Lei’d appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.