Manti Te’o had a lot of reasons he didn’t want people to know that his story about his dying girlfriend wasn’t true. Now that the hoax has been revealed, many people are thinking the worst when it comes to why he delayed for so long — and they may not be wrong to pass some judgment.
Te’o waited to tell the truth because he “was attempting aggressively to nail down marketing deals before the story broke, with among other things, major shoe and apparel companies,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
Florio said that several companies were wary of going into business with Te’o after he struggled in the national championship game, and since his NFL destination — and its marketability — were unknown.
Those companies look a lot smarter now that news of the hoax has broken, although Te’o could still find ways to cash in on the absurdity of it all. PETA already has, after all.
