NFL Analyst Implies Te'o Still Not Real

It's not easy being Manti Te'o.

Last week was supposed to be a comeback of sorts for the overpublicized Notre Dame linebacker. After putting up misrable numbers during the NFL combine, Te'o bounced back somewhat with a better time in the 40 and looked to be back on track to being a first-round draft choice.

But not everyone was celebrating Te'o's comeback performance. NFL Network analysis Jamie Dukes wasn't buying into Te'o's performance, saying he thinks he knows why Te'o improved dramatically over the past few weeks.

"Here's the deal," Dukes said, while comparative pictures of Te'o at the combine and his pro day were shown on the screen. "Since nobody else will say this, I'm just gonna show you this. I don't know who the guy was at the combine -- the pudgy body/soft body guy who couldn't run. All of a sudden, I see this yoked-up behemoth of a guy. Nobody's gonna say anything, and I'm not accusing anybody, but we just had a huge HGH conversation ... I'm not saying he's on anything. I'm not saying, I'm just saying. I think somebody saw what I saw, and that didn't look right. That just didn't look right to me. I just want to be on record as saying -- it's a little off."

Um Jamie, I think you basically did accuse the man of taking drugs. There is no proof that anything Dukes is saying is even true, but given Te'o's recent history, would anyone be surprised if this allegation is accurate?

The man did lie for months about having a gf who never existed so he could save face. Now, all of a sudden, he runs a better 40 at Notre Dame than he did at the combine. It does give cause for second thoughts. 

Te'o has no one but himself to blame for all of this bad press. His lack of truthfulness in the 'fake girlfriend' saga didn't exactly win over the public or his peers. So no one should be surprised that someone else is accusing him of lying about his 40 time.

Te'o chalks it up to basically being more relaxed and more comfortable in a familiar place, but if the Dukes' rumor gets off the ground or turns out to be true, one has to wonder if Te'o will even have a future in the NFL.