Manti Te'o's bishop and main spiritual adviser, Jim Carrier, was also fooled into believing the existence and story of Lennay Kekua, the name for Te'o's now infamous fake girlfriend. In an in-depth interview, Carrier told the South Bend Tribune that he had also spoke with a person claiming to be Kekua on the phone "many times" and didn't suspect the story to be false. The bishop also added that Te'o informed him of the hoax in December, and he believes that the former Notre Dame linebacker was not part of the scheme.
Manti Te’o hoax: Linebacker’s bishop was tricked too
One of Manti Te’o closest confidants also had no idea that the Notre Dame linebacker’s girlfriend didn’t exist.
Carrier spoke with Te’o recently as he prepares for the NFL combine in Florida. He says that Te’o is trying to get past the ordeal and is growing weary from the stress and attention:
”He’s worn out, but I think he’s OK. He said, ‘I’m tired.’ I think he’s emotionally drained.
”I said, ‘I assume, Manti, that you’re not going to church on Sunday.’
He said, ‘No, Bishop. I’m not leaving this compound for a while.’ ”
Te’o isn’t likely to leave the spotlight any time soon. He is scheduled to conduct an interview alongside his parents with Katie Couric that will be shown on Thursday.
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