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Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te'o's tragic story about his California girlfriend who died of leukemia turned out to be an elaborate hoax that left him pained and "sick."

Throughout Te'o's season—one that ended with him placing second in Heisman trophy voting, and playing in the BCS National Championship game—the story of his sick girlfriend provided a tragic back story to his triumphs on the field.

But Te'o released a statement Wednesday in response to a published article, which raised questions about whether Te'o had invented the story of his girlfriend, and described how he was duped into believing an online relationship was real...

Read more at KTLA