Entering his senior year at Notre Dame, Manti Te’o was a surefire first-round pick with a likely long NFL career ahead of him. In sports, we all love our stories of weary but determined warriors rising from the depths of heartbreak. Each Cinderella wellness story shows us what is possible for us. But how did a Heisman Trophy finalist and national championship driver for his team become one of the most hated athletes, along with Tiger Woods (and his cheating scandal) and Lance Armstrong (and his doping revelations)? ?
Netflix’s two-part documentary “Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist” examines the intricacies of the prank that changed Te’o’s life. The term catfish was in its first phase of digestion into the pop culture psyche with the 2010 movie of the same name, not quite as much as the eight-season MTV mainstay it’s known to be. Social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace were beginning to reshape human interaction and intimacy. We all realized that someone on the other side of the computer screen could be a completely different person than what her profile said.
$4 million
Although Manti wasn’t drafted until later in the first round, he cost him more than $1 million. For example:
- Xavier Rhodes was the 25th pick in the first round. His first contract was for 4 years, $7.8 million. The deal, which was almost fully guaranteed, came with a $4 million signing bonus.
- Matt Elam was the last pick of the first round. His first contract was for 4 years, $6.76 million.
$4 million
Although Manti was only drafted later in the first round, he cost him more than $1 million. For example:
- Xavier Rhodes was the 25th pick in the first round. His first deal was a 4-year, $7.8 million contract that was almost fully guaranteed and came with a $4 million signing bonus.
- Matt Elam was the final pick in the first round. His first contract was for 4 years and $6.76 million.
$4 million
Although Manti was only drafted later in the first round, he cost him more than $1 million. For example:
- Xavier Rhodes was the 25th pick in the first round. His first deal was a 4-year, $7.8 million contract that was almost fully guaranteed and came with a $4 million signing bonus.
- Matt Elam was the final pick in the first round. His first contract was for 4 years and $6.76 million.
Is Manti Te’o married?
Manti Te’o married his girlfriend, personal trainer and beauty consultant Jovi Nicole Engbino in La Jolla, California in 2020. In August 2021, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Hiro, with a second child, a son, on the way.
“I’m a family man,” Te’o told Entertainment Tonight. “And I think that’s the beautiful part of it all, is that despite everything, I understand what’s important to me, and what’s important to me is my family and that will always be the most important thing in my life.”