There are two main interpretations of the Manti Te’o hoax. The first is that he was involved in it all along, creating a sob story to drive national attention and a Heisman Trophy bid. The second is that he fell for one of the longest cons of all time.

I’ve long been in the latter camp, mainly because, as a Boston College alum, I prefer to think of Notre Dame students as idiots rather than fraudsters. After all, you can wake up one morning and stop committing fraud, but…

So here is a long list of LSAT flaws committed by Manti Te’o during his multi-year relationship with a figment. Some are apt, some are a stretch, but the important thing is they all belittle Notre Dame.

Manti Te’o Hoax LSAT Flaw I: Equivocation
Having a picture and hearing a voice are different than meeting in person and knowing someone exists. That’s Internet 101, Manti.

Manti Te’o Hoax LSAT Flaw II: Composition — Part to Whole
Just because Lennay Kekua’s voice existed doesn’t mean the rest of her existed.

Manti Te’o Hoax LSAT Flaw III: Sampling
One tenet of picking a sample for a study is that the subject can’t have a reason to lie. So if you ask fake Lennay if she really exists, he’s (Ronaiah) a bad sample, as he has a reason to lie.

Also, you need more than a sample size of “a handful” (that’s a scientific term) to draw a conclusion.

Manti Te’o Hoax LSAT Flaw IV: Temporal
Everyone Manti dated before Lennay existed. Therefore, he concluded that everyone he would date in the future would also exist. Of course, now he’s assuming that anyone will date him in the future.

Manti Te’o Hoax LSAT Flaw V: Logical Force
It’s certainly possible that Lennay might have existed. However, that doesn’t mean that she did exist.

Manti Te’o Hoax LSAT Flaw VI: Perception vs. Reality
Just because Manti believed Lennay existed doesn’t mean she actually exists. Otherwise, I would have been a player in high school, two towns over.

Manti Te’o Hoax LSAT Flaw VII: Reduction ad Absurdum
“If Lennay doesn’t exist, then someone spent the past few years and hundreds of hours on the phone pretending to be her. That’s clearly absurd.” –Manti, a few months ago.

Manti Te’o Hoax LSAT Flaw VIII: Absence of Evidence
No one proved to Manti that Lennay didn’t exist; therefore, he concluded that she must exist. Like Nessie. Who may or may not be Manti’s current girlfriend.

Can you think of any other LSAT flaws surrounding this ridiculous story? If so, chime in in the comments.