In September 2012, Manti Te’o stood in front of a crowd at a Notre Dame football game and told them terrible news. The star linebacker had lost both his grandmother and his girlfriend on the same day. His girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, had died from leukemia while his grandmother also passed away. The sad story touched hearts all over America as Te’o dedicated his season to their memory.
The story pushed Te’o to new heights. Notre Dame finished the season without losing a single game, and Te’o became a Heisman Trophy finalist. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and everyone expected him to be picked in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. The whole country supported the young athlete who had turned personal loss into success on the field.
