Netflix released a two-part series ‘Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist’. It is based on the life of Manti Te’o. 

Malietau, Manti Louis Te’o or Manti Te’o is a free agent American football linebacker. The San Diego Chargers selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. 

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Manti Te’o was born on January 26, 1991 in Laie which is a CDP in Hawaii. Te’o attended Punahou School, a private co-ed school in Honolulu, the capital city of Hawaii. In 2007, as a junior, he was named first-team all-state after racking up 90 tackles and five sacks on defense and 400 yards and ten touchdowns as a running back. Over 30 college programs offered him admission. Te’o helped Punahou win its first-ever state football championship during his senior year in 2008. He had 129 tackles, including 11 sacks, three fumbles forced, four passes tipped, and 19 quarterback hurries and received the Butkus Award, which is given to the best prep linebacker in the United States.

Te’o attended the University of Notre Dame, where he played football for their team, Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 2009 to 2012. He appeared in 51 games during that span and recorded 437 combined tackles and 8.5 sacks.

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NFL Career:- 

The San Diego Chargers selected him in the second round, 38th overall. Te’o signed a four-year contract with the Chargers on May 10, 2013. The contract included a $2,141,768 signing bonus and was worth slightly more than $5 million, with over $3.1 million guaranteed. Te’o finished his rookie season with 61 tackles and four passes defended in 13 games. 

Despite suffering a fractured foot in 2014, he still played. Later that year, he recorded his first NFL interception against the New England Patriots when he covered Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski. Te’o finished the season with 1 sack, 1 interception, and 3 pass deflections in 61 tackles. 

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He suffered a torn Archilles in 2016 and missed the whole season.

Te’o signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Saints on March 21, 2017. During the 2017 season, he led the Saints in tackles for loss. 

Te’o was signed to the Chicago Bears practice squad on October 20, 2020.  On January 9, 2021, he was promoted to the active roster for the team’s wild-card playoff game against the New Orleans Saints, but he was demoted to the practice squad after that.

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Personal Life: –

Te’o stated that his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, a Stanford University student, had been injured in a car accident. blog about sports Deadspin investigated Kekua’s identity and published an article claiming that Kekua did not exist.

In a press conference, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick confirmed the university had hired private investigators to figure out who was behind the hoax, and he clarified Te’o’s relationship with Kekua was “exclusively an online relationship.”

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Te’o agreed to a January 18 interview with sports journalist Jeremy Schaap in which he maintained his innocence and explained that he lied to his father about meeting Kekua in person because if he had told the truth, he would have been perceived crazy for having a relationship with a woman that never existed.

Te’o’s story will be the subject of a two-part Netflix documentary, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist, which will be released in August 2022. This documentary looks at how a secret online relationship jeopardized the player’s career and legacy.