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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

Manti Te’o hoax: ‘Lennay Kekua’ claimed she faked her death due to drug dealers

Manti Te’o reportedly received a phone call in early December that could shed some light on the hoax situation.

More reports about the Manti Te'o hoax are coming to light.

According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the woman who claims to be Lennay Kekua and who was once believed to be Te’o’s girlfriend, told Te’o that she faked her death in order to avoid drug dealers. This account came from a source close to the Te’o family. Kekua was believed to have died of leukemia back in September.

For more on the story, visit One Foot Down

According to the report, Te’o received the news from the woman on Dec. 6 while he was in Florida for a postseason awards show. He informed Notre Dame that he was hoaxed on on Dec. 26, according to his statement.

If true, this would explain a lot about how involved Te’o was. If “Kekua” was at least a real person using a fake name, more of Te’o’s story makes sense.

The entire timeline of events is still unclear, but be sure to stay tuned to our StoryStream for the latest as more emerges.

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