If I knew the lives of sportsmen were so entertaining, maybe I would’ve been a lot more interested long ago (or probably not).

In the wake of the Lance Armstrong fiasco and the admittance of his truth to the queen of talk, Oprah Winfrey (who just lost one of his final medals, a Bronze Olympic one from 2000 because of the scandal), another highly respected football star is in the news today for lying about two deaths that allegedly happened hours away from each other and led him to victory.

Manti T’eo, a Notre Dame linebacker (and a finalist for the coveted Heisman Trophy 2012) made claims that both his grandmother and his girlfriend died within hours of each other and that the girlfriend, named Lennay, told him that she didn’t want him at her bedside and instead, to put his heart into the game and win in her memory — which he did. He took his team to a massive victory that season and the nation except for me became enthralled with his perseverance.

Which was amazing in itself, except for one issue: the girlfriend didn’t die.

And the reason she didn’t? Well, she kind of never existed. Ever.

Read more of this crazy one after the jump.

The girlfriend, named Lennay Kekua had apparently been in a massive car crash and then was tragically diagnosed with leukemia once she was admitted into the hospital.

Except that didn’t really happen either, according to Deadspin, who let loose the holes in Te’o's story:

Manti Te’o did lose his grandmother this past fall. Annette Santiago died on Sept. 11, 2012, at the age of 72, according to Social Security Administration records in Nexis. But there is no SSA record there of the death of Lennay Marie Kekua, that day or any other. Her passing, recounted so many times in the national media, produces no obituary or funeral announcement in Nexis, and no mention in the Stanford student newspaper.

Nor is there any report of a severe auto accident involving a Lennay Kekua. Background checks turn up nothing. The Stanford registrar’s office has no record that a Lennay Kekua ever enrolled. There is no record of her birth in the news. Outside of a few Twitter and Instagram accounts, there’s no online evidence that Lennay Kekua ever existed.

Te’o's claiming he was “Catfished” (a newish term explaining when someone is duped in an online relationship), others are claiming he was definitely in on the story to get him some love from the public (especially since he told family members and friends that he had spent time with her).

Oh, yeah — and others believe that he made the entire thing up because he’s hiding his homosexuality, with a friend of his saying that he created “Kekua’s” Twitter account.

Sounds like a damn soap opera to me — and a really good one at that!

Te’o released a statement saying he was “embarrassed” by the ruse, but we’ll keep you posted on this one. I’m officially waiting for the movie!

via Facebook