Rhona Wise/EPA
So what can we believe anymore?
That, sadly, is the takeaway from the Manti Te’o story, which might be the most convoluted and jaw-dropping sports story in, well, ever. Cynicism has taken over everything about sports in this era, from the chemically enhanced athletes to the resume-padding coaches.
We are so used to being duped, so accustomed to having our idols exposed as total frauds and our record books tossed into the fireplace, that we should be numb to it all. No athletic feat is immune from scrutiny, no superstar exempt from seeing his reputation dragged through the mud – or doing it himself.
But this one?
A fake dead girlfriend?
An elaborate online hoax?
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