Ronaiah Tuiasosopo fell in love with Manti Te'o and said all his energy went into pretending to be the woman the Notre Dame linebacker came to know as Lennay Kekua.
Tuiasosopo, the 22-year-old mastermind of the elaborate hoax that embarrassed Te'o and left him looking gullible, spoke publicly for the first time in an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw for the Dr. Phil Show, the first part of which aired Thursday.Tuiasosopo said Te'o knew nothing of the scam, and doesn't believe he ever suspected Kekua was fake."He had no involvement," Tuiasosopo said. "He did not know anything."Tuiasosopo said he built the online persona of Kekua, a nonexistent woman who Te'o said he fell in love with despite never meeting in person. Tuiasosopo then killed off the character last September."I pretty much had this escape of Lennay and this was where my heart had pretty much invested, not just time, but all of my energy went into this," Tuiasosopo said.He said he felt Kekua was a part of him, and grew feelings and emotions for Te'o that he could not control.Tuiasosopo acknowledged that the hoax was cruel, but said it was never intended as a joke and that he received no financial gain from it."As twisted and confusing as it may be, yeah, I cared for this person," he said, referring to Te'o. "I did all that I could to help this person become a better person, even though I wasn't getting nothing out of it."When the ruse was reported by Deadspin.com on Jan. 16, the report raised the questions about whether Te'o was in on it.The story of how Te'o played through pain after learning about the deaths of his girlfriend and grandmother on the same day led to an outpouring of support from Notre Dame fans.It became the backdrop to the Fighting Irish's undefeated regular season and run to the BCS championship, where they lost to Alabama.Te'o won seven national awards for his play and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.Snyder's new dealBill Snyder turned 73 in October, so it was only natural that folks across college football would start wondering just how long the maestro of Manhattan would remain on the sidelines.Kansas State delivered its answer Thursday: As long as he wants.Snyder signed a new five-year contract that includes an increase in base compensation to $14.75 million over the life of the contract. The deal replaces one signed in 2009 that did not specify his compensation past the fifth year. Like that contract, it will roll over annually.Snyder, who was voted AP's Big 12 Coach of the Year after going 11-2 this season, will make $2.75 million for the 2013 season, with annual increases of $100,000 through the 2017 season. The contract also includes bonus and benefit provisions.Austin nominatedBaylor center Isaiah Austin, a freshman from Arlington Grace Prep, is one of 12 players under consideration for the Wayman Tisdale Award, given to the nation's top freshman.Others in the mix from the Big 12 include Kansas guard Ben McLemore and Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart. UCLA has three players on the list: Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Shabaz Muhammad.Briefly Oregon football: Former Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost was promoted to offensive coordinator under new coach Mark Helfrich. Frost, 38, was the Ducks' wide receivers coach the past four years. South Carolina football: Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers and national championship coach Danny Ford led the first class of the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame. Others elected were former coaches Frank Howard, Sam Wyche and Willie Jeffries, and players Banks McFadden, Donnie Shell and Harry Carson. Lone Star Festival: Chadron (Neb.) State will play West Texas A&M in September as part of the Lone Star Football Festival at Cowboys Stadium. New Mexico State basketball: Tyrone Watson, a 6-foot-5 senior forward from Canada, was suspended from the basketball team after being accused of beating a man for flirting with a woman who was with Watson at a party.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
