SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick says the school has encouraged linebacker Manti Te'o to
speak publicly — and soon — about being the victim of a hoax involving a dead girlfriend who never existed.
Swarbrick said during the taping of his
weekly radio show, which airs regionally on Saturday but was posted
online as a podcast
on Friday, that Te'o has to explain exactly how he was duped into
an online relationship with a woman whose "death" was then
faked by the perpetrators of the hoax.
"I don't have any specific knowledge as to
how and when, but I can't fathom a circumstance where it doesn't
(happen). I sort
of share everybody's view that it has to happen. We are certainly
encouraging it to happen. We think it's important and we'd
like to see it happen sooner rather than later," Swarbrick said.
Swarbrick added that before Deadspin.com broke the news with a lengthy report on Wednesday, Te'o and his family had planned
to go public with the story Monday.
"Sometimes the best laid plans don't quite work, and this was an example of that. Because the family lost the opportunity
in some ways to control the story," he said.
He said the university doesn't have anything more to add.
"It is in the Te'o family's court," he said.
"We are very much encouraging them. I hope by the time people are
listening to
this they have made themselves available to explain and to take
questions, because we think that's in everybody's interest.
It's certainly our expectation at Notre Dame that they would do
that."
Swarbrick said again he is confident Te'o is
the victim and did not back away from the strong support he gave the
All-American
during a news conference Wednesday night, when the AD said an
investigation done by a firm hired by the school turned up evidence
that supports Te'o's claim he was not involved.
Swarbrick said he will continue to believe that until given "compelling evidence to the contrary."
He said he understands why some people are skeptical about Te'o's story.
"They have every right to say that,"
Swarbrick said "Now I have some more information than they have. But
they have every
right to say that. I don't feel any sort of ill will toward that
position. If I was on the outside of this presented with
the only facts I have at this point — and importantly at the time
we're recording this Manti has yet to speak publicly — I
think that skepticism is easy to understand. I just ask those
people to apply the same skepticism to everything about this.
"I have no doubt the perpetrators have a story they will yet spin about what went on here. I hope skepticism also greets that
when they're articulating what that is."