SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Dr. Phil McGraw says Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who masterminded the dead girlfriend hoax involving Manti Te’o, told him the Notre Dame linebacker was not involved in the scheme and that he ended up falling “deeply, romantically” in love with the football player.
McGraw spoke on the “Today” show on NBC Wednesday, previewing an interview he did with Tuiasosopo, a 22-year-old California man who created the fictional woman Te’o knew as Lennay Kekua. Tuiasosopo’s interview with McGraw will air in two parts on the “Dr. Phil Show” beginning today.
Since the hoax was revealed earlier this month, Te’o has said the relationship with Kekua started online and eventually became serious, even though the two did nothing but talk on the phone and exchange electronic messages, never meeting in person. Te’o said he was told of Kekua’s “death” from leukemia just hours after his grandmother died in September.
McGraw said Tuiasosopo told him the voice of Kekua was his. Tuiasosopo and Te’o have each said that while the Kekua relationship went on for several years, there were times when they weren’t in contact.
“There were many times where Manti and Lennay had broken up,” Tuiasosopo said. “But something would bring them back together, whether it was something going on in his life, or in Lennay’s life, in this case in my life.
Tuiasosopo said he wanted to end the relationship between Kekua and Te’o before he had to fake Kekua’s death.
“I wanted to end it because everything I had gone through. I finally realized that I just had to move on with my life and I had to get me, Ronaiah, I had to start just living and let this go,” Tuiasosopo said.
Te’o’s publicist, Matthew Hiltzik, declined comment on behalf of Te’o and his family.
When the ruse was reported by Deadspin.com on Jan. 16, the report raised questions about whether Te’o was involved. McGraw said “absolutely, unequivocally” Te’o had no role in creating the hoax.
McGraw said he spent hours with Tuiasosopo and his parents, saying Tuiasosopo had a number of experiences in his life that “damaged this young man in some very serious ways.”
McGraw said Tuiasosopo had feelings for Te’o.
“Here we have a young man that fell deeply, romantically in love,” McGraw said.
McGraw said he asked Tuiasosopo if he is gay.
“He said, ‘Well, when you put it that way, yes.’ Then he caught himself and said, ‘I am confused,’” McGraw said.
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