Watch CBS News

Website Reports Notre Dame Linebacker's Girlfriend Story Is A Hoax

PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) -- One of the most inspirational stories of this college football season is a hoax, according to Deadspin.

Click here to read the complete story on their website: "Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax"

The University of Notre Dame has issued a statement saying All-American linebacker Manti Te'o and his parents are the victim of a hoax.

KDKA's Bob Pompeani Reports:

Deadspin co-author Jack Dickey joined Starkey and Miller on 93-7 The Fan Wednesday afternoon.

"The issue here is that Manti Te'o said at points he saw his girlfriend. He said she was the love of his life," said Dickey. "It is possible he is the victim of a hoax, but a friend we spoke to said that he thought it was about 80 percent probability that Te'o knew what was going on."

Listen to a portion of the interview here:

Dickey went on to tell The Fan: "I suppose what the Notre Dame theory is, what they want us to believe, that they spoke to someone on the phone who was also in on the hoax. But it is a very elaborate hoax and it's difficult for us to believe - both based on what we know about the nature of the hoax and logic."

Dickey added, "We checked and double-checked everything we could. We are certain everything here is true."

Listen to the full interview here:

Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick spoke at a press conference Wednesday evening after the release of Deadspin's report.

"Manti is the victim of that hoax and he will carry that with him for a while," said Swarbrick. "I want to stress, as someone who has probably been as engaged in this as anyone in the past couple of weeks, that nothing about what I have learned has shaken my faith in Manti Te'o one iota."

More Details: Author Of Manti Te'o Hoax Gives Detail Into How The Story Unfolded

RELATED LINKS:
CBS Sports: Notre Dame, Te'o say linebacker was victim of hoax
More Sports News

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.