Norte Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's Twitter account, @MTeo_5, has been deleted from the social media platform during Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast, according to ESPN.
Before it was deleted, Te'o's Twitter bio included a quote from French author Alexandre Dumas in his book, The Count of Monte Cristo: "Life is a storm ...You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes."
A source told ESPN.com the former Notre Dame linebacker will be off Twitter for an indefinite period of time to prepare for the NFL draft. Twitter accounts that are deleted can be reactivated by that person.
Te'o's deletion of his Twitter account comes post-hoax story of his dead girlfriend not being true. Lennay Kekua turned out to be the fictional concoction of a man named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, who later said he created the character and interacted with Te'o as the woman on texts and phone calls.
While Te'o said he had nothing to do with the hoax, he was criticized for misleading the media about the extent of their personal interaction. He also was chastised for not being forthcoming once he was called by a person with the voice of Kekua in December, months after he said he thought she had died.
Despite the bizarre story, many draft experts predict it will have little to no effect on Te'o's draft status. The same cannot be said for Te'o's marketability, at least in the short term. Several marketers who have been approached by Te'o's team at Creative Artists Agency ESPN that the deals being discussed are not at the same prices that were being floated about before the hoax was uncovered.
