Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te'o during his time with the New Orleans Saints Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Manti Te’o has emotional reaction to Notre Dame return

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 9/17/22

Manti Te’o was welcomed back to Notre Dame on Saturday and received quite the response from the home fans.

On Saturday, Te’o made his first public appearance at a Notre Dame game since 2012, when he last played for the Fighting Irish. He was welcomed back to present the colors prior to the team’s game against California, and was warmly greeted by fans.

Welcome home Manti pic.twitter.com/0VypVtGoUh

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 17, 2022

The reception was even more rousing inside the stadium when he was introduced. Te’o was showered with cheers, and appeared to be wiping away tears over the crowd’s reaction.

A thunderous applause from the Notre Dame faithful as Manti Teo presents the colors pregame.

Manti wiping away tears as he hears the roar. pic.twitter.com/Jg0sHGO8NT

— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlo) September 17, 2022

Manti Te’o getting emotional. pic.twitter.com/stNFgRJqFg

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) September 17, 2022

Te’o was a star linebacker for Notre Dame from 2009 to 2012, and was the anchor of the 2012 team that played in the National Championship game. Ultimately, the end of his career was overshadowed by the infamous fake girlfriend hoax that he was still hearing about years later. A recent Netflix documentary about the hoax revived interest in the story, however, and painted a more sympathetic picture of Te’o’s role in the fiasco.

Notre Dame is off to an 0-2 start, so perhaps Te’o’s return will help get the team moving in the right direction.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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