A month has passed since the Manti Te'o story swept the nation, but it hasn't been forgotten. In fact, at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this weekend, it is sure to be a hot-button issue, both with the media and the teams set to interview Te'o.
The Notre Dame linebacker should be well prepared by now, as his agent and the people around him have thrown advice his way. But in case Te'o needed one last piece of advice, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock weighed in on the situation during a conference call on Monday.
"I would tell Te'o, ‘You better look people in the eye," Mayock said. "I know you're going to be embarrassed, and I know you're going to be uncomfortable. Tell them your story and let the tape do the talking. It's going to be uncomfortable, but be honest.
"I think there's two schools of thought: Most of us have made mistakes at age 21 (and) he lied to the nation and do you want a liar in the locker room? Up until that story became public, he had a plus-plus-plus intangible grade that would push his on-the-field grade higher, and I think he's lost all that."
Also read: SB Nation's latest mock draft
Te'o will be one of the most compelling players to watch this weekend in Indianapolis. His presence is going to create a media circus and he will be forced to handle some tough questions about his final months at Notre Dame.
Once considered to have some of the best intangibles in this draft class, Te'o has lost that edge. The answers he gives teams this weekend will be far more important than those he gives the media.