INDIANAPOLIS – Manti Te’o sounded like a man ready to move on with his life.
The former Notre Dame linebacker, who claimed to be a victim of a bizarre hoax involving an Internet-created girlfriend, fielded questions from a media horde Saturday at the NFL scouting combine and said he is beyond the personal embarrassment caused by the incident. But Te’o said he is still disappointed in himself for the harm he caused his family.
"The incident, I said all I needed to say about that," Te’o said. "How I’m handing it going forward, it’s doing what I’m doing right now: Focusing on the moment and focusing on football and the combine.
"Not everybody gets this opportunity to be here. I’m sure there are thousands and thousands of people who would like to be here in Indianapolis. So, just trying to enjoy the moment.’’
Te'o said he was surprised by the intensity of the interest in the hoax, calling the reaction "overwhelming" at times and said it was "definitely embarrassing."
Te’o was asked what teams are asking him about the incident.
"Just tell me the facts," he said. "They want to hear it from me. Just tell them basically what happened."
Te’o said the toughest part about the incident was seeing his family name essentially dragged in the mud. He got a call from his sister at one point saying his family back in Hawaii had to sneak into the house because of the media hovering in the yard.
"To know that my family was in this situation because of the actions that I committed was definitely the hardest part,’’ he said.
He was asked about not being forthcoming about the hoax from the start.
"It was a just whirlwind of stuff for me,’’ he said. "For me, you’re a 22-year-old – a 21-year-old at that time – and just trying to get your thoughts right, everything is just kind of chaos for a little bit. So you let the chaos die down and wait until everybody’s ready to listen.
"The way that we did it I felt worked best for me. I’m just very grateful for those who helped me get through that time because I think it went over as smoothly as it could.’’
More importantly, Te'o needs to show NFL teams how his poor performance against Alabama in the BCS national title game was just as much of an illusion.
"That's all on me," Te'o said of the Alabama game. "Alabama had a great game plan."
Te'o said he has received no indication from NFL teams that the incident will affect his draft status. He also said he didn't think it would affect how he is treated by future teammates.
Te’o said he met with the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers in Indianapolis and still was scheduled to meet with 18 more teams. He hopes to answer some doubts about his performance against Alabama in the national title game when the linebackers start their workouts on Monday.
Te’o said he would not pursue any legal action against hoaxer Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who admitted on national television falling for Te’o during their long-distance relationship.
"That’s the worst thing you can do,’’ he said. "Both families are going through chaos. ... If you forgive, you’ll get the majority of the blessings.’’
When the roughly 15-minute session ended, Te'o thanked the media for attending, then thanked his family and Notre Dame.
Te'o tackles questions about 'embarrassing' hoax
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Te'o tackles questions about 'embarrassing' hoax
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Te'o tackles questions about 'embarrassing' hoax
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