Manti Te'o might be reaping the benefits of a situation he was accused of creating four months earlier.
Te'o, the apparent hoax of a fake girlfriend that dominated the college and professional football news until he was taken in the second round of the NFL draft in April, seems to have landed on his feet as the bizarre story of his relationship with Lennay Kekau, a fictitious woman, has faded.
According to USA Today, the NFL rookie linebacker made an appearance at the Maxim Hot 100 party earlier this week. The magazine recently ranked Kekau No. 69 on its list of the hottest women in the world.
USA Today went on to say that Te'o has appeared in "multiple" photos with real women, including one in which model/actress Courtney Caldwell is on his right arm.
Meanwhile, Yahoo.com has reported that a group of Te'o's peers suggest that the San Diego Chargers' second-round draft pick might grow stronger emotionally from the ordeal.
"I don't think it is going to hurt him at all," Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin said in the report. "I don't think it is going to make it more difficult for him as a rookie because I don't think he will approach it like that.
"I kind of go the other way on it. Having experienced some kind of hardship like that can maybe help him because it toughens you up mentally. Going through difficult times like he has can make you stronger, and from what I know about him, he is the kind of guy to use it positively, to turn a negative into a positive."
Te'o also scored points in the court of public opinion, New England Patriots rookie Aaron Dobson said, when the former Notre Dame star attended the Maxim party, making light of his situation.
"That is the best approach," Dobson. "Just to be chill about it and laugh it off and carry on with what you do. Trying to play in the NFL is hard enough without having distractions. If there is something that could be a distraction, you need to turn it around and make it work for you."
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