The man who said he tricked Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o into falling for a fake woman he created online claims the hoax had "everything to do" with escaping from real life because he had been molested as a child.
Ronaiah Tuiasosopo spoke publicly for the first time in an interview with Dr. Phil McGraw for the Dr. Phil Show, the second part of which aired Friday.Tuiasosopo, 22, told McGraw he was repeatedly molested, beginning at age 12, by someone who was close to his father, a church pastor and youth minister."I felt that I couldn't do things, accomplish things, pursue things, live out as Ronaiah," Tuiasosopo said. "And I felt the need to create this. It has everything to do with what I went through as a child."Tuiasosopo did not identify his alleged attacker by name and did not say whether he had told police about his claim.He said he built the online persona of Lennay 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.He said creating Kekua -- who met Te'o online during the player's freshman year at Notre Dame -- allowed him to live in an alternate reality, and helped validate that he was a good person.When Deadspin.com exposed the hoax in a story on Jan. 16, the report raised questions about whether Te'o was in on it.But Te'o denied he was involved and Tuiasosopo also said the All-American had nothing to do with the scam.Kekua "died" the same day in September that Te'o's real grandmother passed away, and the story of the linebacker playing through the double tragedy became an often-told tale as Notre Dame went 12-0 last season and earned a spot in the BCS championship. Te'o failed at the time to make clear that he had only known Kekua online and through phone calls, which caused confusion later.Te'o won seven national awards for his play and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. A couple of days before that award was presented, the linebacker had a call from the Kekua character saying she was alive.Te'o, who has said he was deeply confused by that conversation, ultimately told his parents and coaches about the situation.Briefly ACC basketball: The Atlantic Coast Conference is interested in holding a future men's basketball tournament in New York, an ACC school official told ESPN. The deadline to bid for the 2016-21 ACC tournaments was in September, and Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn did not submit a bid, ESPN reported. Besides New York, other cities being considered to host the 2016-21 ACC tournaments are Atlanta, Charlotte, Greensboro, N.C., Tampa, Fla., and Washington, D.C. LSU football: Coach Les Miles has a new seven-year contract that pays him a $4.3 million annual salary and binds him to LSU through the 2019 season. Since becoming LSU's coach in 2005, Miles is second in number of wins in university history, with a record of 85-21. New Mexico State football: Athletic director McKinley Boston said that Doug Martin will become the new head coach. He was selected after a committee interviewed four candidates. Martin, who was offensive coordinator, was promoted to interim coach last week after DeWayne Walker stepped down to take a position with the Jacksonville Jaguars. North Carolina State basketball: Point guard Lorenzo Brown is doubtful for today's game against Miami because of a sprained left ankle. Brown is averaging 13 points and an ACC-best 6.9 assists per game. Texas A&M football: Former Indiana and Purdue assistant coach Mark Hagen has been hired as the linebackers coach. TCU women's tennis: TCU ran its record to 3-0 with a 7-0 victory over Old Dominion. The Frogs play host to No. 9 Alabama at 1 p.m. today.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
