Te’o girlfriend hoax just keeps getting better

After the month Manti Te’o has had, he is probably just ready for February to get here, but, then again, he will not be able to celebrate Valentine’s Day with his girlfriend?

The former Notre Dame linebacker has had a rough few weeks. First was the humiliating loss to Alabama in the National Championship game, a game in which Te’o recorded only three solo tackles and seemed a step slow all game long. The next mishap is the strangest.

Te’o has apparently fallen victim to an online hoax in which several people acted as Lennay Kekua— Te’os online girlfriend who regularly communicated with him through e-mail, text and phone calls. The relationship ended when Kekua passed away after losing her battle with cancer. When the national media—specifically, Deadspin.com— caught wind of the hoax, the story went viral.

If you’re like me, you have doubts about how much of a “hoax” this was. The whole story seems odd. Why did they date for so long and never see each other? Could you date someone for the length of time they dated and never see them in person? According to the Notre Dame athletic director, Te’o found out he was a victim on Dec. 26. Why not address the issue then, instead of waiting until the media caught wind of it?

A few of Te’o’s former teammates have even admitted that they always suspected it was a publicity stunt and that Te’o was in on the “hoax” all along.

The whole story makes everyone wish he would pull a Lance Armstrong and admit he did it already.

Nonetheless, the scandal has produced some entertaining jokes. Look no further than Twitter. The following are just a few of the jokes that are guaranteed to make you laugh:

@RollTide: Manti Te’o wasn’t missing tackles in the National Championship, he was hugging his girlfriend.

@JadaveonClowney: If you having girl problems I feel bad for you son Manti Teo has 99 problems but a girl ain’t one.

@DanMacEachern: Manti Te’o might see his draft prospects drop but he should probably be No. 1 in the fantasy draft.

@PeytonsHead: Has anyone ever seen Manti Teo’s girlfriend and Brian Kelly in the same room?

While social media has provided plenty of laughter, some professional sports teams are joining in on the humor.

The Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League showed a picture of an empty seat on the jumbotron at a recent game. The caption of the picture said, “Manti Te’o’s Girlfriend - Welcome to the game!” The team also tweeted about the event, saying, “Our cameras at AAC are sharp! They just caught Manti Te’o’s girlfriend in section 125 on the jumbotron!”

Probably the funniest of the lot is Florence Freedom minor league baseball organization, which is planning to host a “Manti Te’o girlfriend bobble head night”. The fans will receive a box with nothing in it.  The team also plans on having a section of the stadium blocked off for fans to enjoy the game with their imaginary friends, girlfriends/boyfriends or spouses. The team is also hosting an air guitar contest as well as an imaginary food fight.

Thank you, Manti Te’o. Thank you for showing America that not only was your girlfriend fake, but so is your ability to stop the run. Now that this is out in the open, we can all focus on Lance Armstrong’s confessions to Oprah.