Doug Saffir

It’s been just over two days since Deadspin broke the Manti Te’o “scandal.”

I honestly believed by now that cooler heads would have prevailed, but after watching some coverage of the Te’o story on Thursday and Friday nights, it’s clear that some folks out there haven’t filled their chill pill prescription.

More than anything, the Te’o fake girlfriend story is a media story. It is not a football story, and it is barely a sports story (it qualifies only because it directly involves a relatively well-known athlete).

Te’o’s numbers this season speak volumes on his ability: 111 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 7 interceptions, 12 Notre Dame wins, and an appearance in the BCS National Title game. Suffice to say, he is an impressive athlete.

NFL scouts and coaches should regard him as such, regardless of some moral or intellectual failings.

Was it stupid to think he could gain notoriety by using a fictional girlfriend and her fictional sob story? Yes.

Was it dishonest to deceive plenty of good reporters by not coming clean as his fictional girlfriend’s story went national? Yes.

Is it worse that he’s attempting to cover up the hoax, play the victim, and act as though he played no role in it? Sure.

But scouts, coaches, and even most fans have been around long enough to know that plenty of college athletes have done far worse, including point shaving, academic dishonesty, and even murder. If you need some examples, you’ll find plenty here.

This story ultimately comes down to the repeated failings of several reputable journalists and journalistic institutions.

The worst part of this story are quotations like this one from ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski.

“But in researching it before I wrote the script, I remember trying to find an obituary for his girlfriend and could not. And couldn’t find any record of this car accident. But we asked Manti, could we contact Lennay’s family and he said the family would prefer not to be contacted. Could we have some photos of Lennay? He said the family would prefer not to provide those,” Wojciechowski told SportsCenter in a phone interview. “And so in that instance, and at that moment, you simply think that you have to respect those wishes.”

No, Gene, you don’t. You’re a journalist with an obligation to investigate the truth before going to print. And that is just as true for every other reporter who bit on the Te’o story without hesitating when the facts didn’t add up.

I’m tired of hearing about how this will affect Te’o’s draft stock or what it says about him as an athlete, because it doesn’t say much.

It says he’s not the brightest kid and he’s not the most honest kid, and he bit off a little more than he could chew in order to gain the favor of a national audience.

But, much more importantly, it says that all the journalists who told and retold his story were duped. The people we all watch and read on ESPN, Yahoo, Sports Illustrated, and even the New York Times were all fooled by a not-so-bright, not-so-honest kid and the story of his made up girlfriend.

That’s all you need to know, and that’s all you need to care about.

One week from now, you won’t wonder whether Te’o can handle the status of NFL linebacker, but you will probably wonder whether the news you’re reading is entirely true.

(Photo Courtesy Twittweb.com)