Te’o says his combine effort will speak for itself

BRADENTON, Fla. – Manti Te’o told USA Today on Monday that he doesn’t believe the online hoax that fooled him will affect his stock in the upcoming NFL draft.

The former Notre Dame linebacker also said he has shut down his Twitter account and isn’t sure if he will ever use social media again.

Te’o has only granted a couple of interviews since he acknowledged falling in love with a nonexistent woman invented by another man who insists the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy was unaware of the scam during the online relationship.

The NFL combine begins Wednesday in Indianapolis, and Te’o is certain to face a lot of questions from teams wanting to know more about how he was drawn into the bizarre hoax.

“I have to just go out there and perform and all that other stuff is behind me,” he told USA Today. “What I did on the field is what I did on the field. I don’t think what I did with this whole situation, I don’t understand how it takes away from what I did on the field.”