NFL consultant Brandt: Manti Te'o's draft status could plummet after girlfriend hoax
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2013, file photo, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o answers a question during media day for the BCS national championship NCAA college football game in Miami. A story that Te'o's girlfriend had died of leukemia _ a loss he said inspired him to help lead the Irish to the BCS championship game _ was dismissed by the university Wednesday, Jan. 16, as a hoax perpetrated against the linebacker. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) (The Associated Press)
NFL draft consultant Gil Brandt believes the uncertainty surrounding Manti Te'o could affect when he is selected in April by an NFL team.
Brandt called the story that Notre Dame's All-American linebacker was involved in a hoax "something I have never witnessed" in his half-century in pro football.
The former Dallas Cowboys general manager says he had Te'o rated 19th overall in the first round, and that Te'o's stock had plummeted after a poor performance in the BCS championship game. Now, Te'o could fall further.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brandt said Thursday that "I think some teams will say it isn't worth the problem" to draft Te'o.
He adds that "between now and 97 days from now when the draft comes, there'll be a lot of people investigating just what took place."