grown-ups were children

Te’o’s story has been all over the news today—and with good reason. It’s nuts. But what’s also nuts is that the story of Lennay Kekua—the dead girl who never lived—is a bigger deal (3.1 million-plus views on Deadspin and counting) than the story of Lizzy Seeberg, whose real life ended in real tragedy (44K for this Deadspin post).

As Dave Zirin reports, Notre Dame has already scheduled press conferences and hired an outside investigator to deal with the Te’o situation, two things that never happened for Seeberg. Beautiful, selfless, perfect woman does not exist? Now that’s a story. The horrors faced by women trying to find justice for sexual violence? Sorry, ladies, that’s just boring old everyday life.

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Amanda Marcotte on the real Notre Dame scandal.

Once again, the media focuses on what’s really important: the origin of a fake dead girl, or the circumstances that led to the existence of a real dead girl. As Amanda Marcotte asks, “Could a Notre Dame football player do anything worse than make up a dead girlfriend? Yes.”

(via carry-onbaggage)

Seriously. The amount of attention that Notre Dame is putting into this — including hiring an outside investigator — when they can’t manage to even pretend to give a shit about a real live woman who committed suicide after allegedly being assaulted by a ND athlete — and who was then alternately bullied and vilified by other athletes and students, and shrugged off by administrators and authorities — is gross. And that’s just one of many stories like that. As a friend said yesterday, “I’m glad my religious-founded college isn’t so creepy and cultlike.” Amen.

(via runswithpoodles)

I suggest a little more fairness to ND.  The media cares about Manti Te’o and whatever bullshit is going on.  ND always cares about its students’ behavior and character, including the case of Lizzy Seeberg.  See, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/545569-notre-dame-football-player-cleared-in-seeberg-case-cover-up-or-witch-hunt.  

The loss of Lizzy Seeberg’s life is a tragedy, but the facts do not support wrongdoing on the part of the University.  And a broader look at ND’s disciplinary system in cases involving student athletes is far from suggesting that the University gives preferential treatment (unlike many colleges playing at the same level).