Notre Dame's Manti Te'o finally answered questions Friday night about the Lennay Kekua girlfriend hoax, saying in an exclusive interview with ESPN that he wasn't part of it – although he "tailored" his accounts of meeting the woman – and that the alleged mastermind of the hoax apologized to him.

The Fighting Irish linebacker and Heisman Trophy finalist at the center of a fake girlfriend controversy that has captivated the sports world for three days spoke to the network's Jeremy Schaap. Te'o gave the interview with a lawyer seated next to him in a conference room at the IMG Training Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he is preparing for the NFL draft. There were no TV cameras at the 2½-hour interview, which was recorded.

Manti Te'o denies being in on the girlfriend hoax. (AP) Although Te'o came to Notre Dame officials about the hoax in late December, he said a group of people connected to the perpetrators of the hoax showed up at the team hotel in the days leading up to the BCS championship game in Miami. ESPN initially reported during

Oprah Winfrey ran the interview, but Lance Armstrong ran the show.

The second part of Oprah Winfrey's interview with Lance Armstrong airs Friday. (AP)The major disappointment in the first part of Winfrey's "worldwide exclusive" Thursday night was her inability to steer Armstrong in any direction other than the one he wanted to go. She led him to the precipice of some very dark places, yet she allowed him to avoid entering. And what's worse, Armstrong was able to subtly but effectively push across the (extremely disputable) point that he was only participating in a "culture" that was bigger than he was. That was Armstrong's biggest win on Thursday, and Winfrey's biggest loss.

The interview started off very well for Winfrey. Her use of several yes-or-no questions about Armstrong's doping during the Tour de France proved a terrific sound bite. Winfrey elicited a confession from Armstrong, which was the most crucial aspect of the interview. In the first several minutes of the show, Winfrey succeeded admirably.

Yet closed-ended questions (yes or no) quickly

Days after finding out his girlfriend wasn't real, Manti Te'o was at the Heisman Trophy presentation. (Getty Images)BRADENTON, Fla. – This is no place to spend the worst week of your life.

Manti Te'o, the Heisman Trophy finalist and NFL draft prospect at the center of one of the most troubling sports stories in memory, has been behind the gates and guard shacks of the IMG Academy here as the story of his fake girlfriend played out for the world to dissect. The saga has raised hundreds of questions, but one more needs to be asked:

Why is he here?

That's an easy one to answer on one level: Te'o is training for his dream of playing in the NFL. The IMG Academy is a great place to do that, with its hundreds of acres of state-of-the-art athletic facilities, its well-accommodated dorms, and its relaxing front-of-property clubhouse with a full kitchen and comfy chairs to sit and talk after the end of a long day of workouts. This is a fantastic place for football preparation. It is not, however, an ideal place for emotional healing.

Regardless of whether Te'o is completely to blame for this mess or

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Nik Stauskas had a pretty rotten afternoon on Sunday. When he boarded the team bus, it got worse.

Nik Stauskas (Getty Images)The Michigan sharpshooter, who gained an Internet following with his YouTube video where he hit 45 of 50 3-pointers outside his Canada home, did not make any 3-pointers in Michigan's loss to Ohio State. The Wolverines, undefeated on the season to that point, lost by –what else – three points. Stauskas, who has been a revelation this season in hitting more than 50 percent of his treys, played 23 minutes and didn't score.

Then he boarded the team bus back home and checked Twitter. He scrolled through his messages and found nearly two dozen negative comments directed at him, telling him he didn't show up when the team needed him. After a few seconds, he had to stop.

But first he sent his own tweet:

Can't even read my mentions because of all the negativity being thrown at me. I'll continue to learn and grow as a player. Back to the gym.

— Nik Stauskas

If you are someone who plays football, or love someone who plays football, this is a story you should hear. This is a story that could save a life.

Junior Seau had a degenerative brain disease when he committed suicide last May. (AP)A couple of weeks ago, Jeffrey Kutcher got a call from a now retired six-year NFL veteran. Kutcher is a neuroscientist who is on the cutting edge of brain research. As director of the Michigan Neurosport Program at the University of Michigan, he works with athletes and former athletes every day. And this call was troubling.

His wife was very upset, the former player explained. He had mood issues. He couldn't concentrate. He had trouble holding a job. He had headaches. Bad headaches.

The player mentioned Junior Seau, who had taken his own life after a career of hard hits. He mentioned Dave Duerson, the former Chicago Bear who shot himself in the chest to preserve his brain for scientific research. Kutcher says the player has been contacted by a university research hospital about donating his own brain.

He was scared.

Kutcher

On Monday afternoon, former Wizards basketball player Etan Thomas published an open letter in the Washington Post to Robert Griffin III. It was emotional and powerful and thought-provoking, and it was inspired by his 7-year-old son.

"If RG3 is hurt and playing, couldn't he get hurt more?" Malcolm Thomas asked his dad after seeing Griffin in obvious pain during Sunday's wild-card game against the Seattle Seahawks. "Look at his face daddy, he is in pain, why is he still playing if he is in that much pain?"

On Wednesday, Griffin underwent surgery to repair one and eventually two ligaments in his right knee. The hope is a full recovery in time for the start of the 2013 season, and Griffin tweeted, "See you guys next season" on Wednesday morning to underscore the plan. But there's no way to know if one of the fastest and most mobile players in the NFL will ever be quite as fast and quite as mobile.

That prospect has elicited two reactions. The first is the standard concern for a

Robert Griffin III tweeted "See you guys next season" to his followers early Wednesday morning, and he certainly has a chance to return to play in the fall. But he may have to wait longer to take the field again, according to an orthopedic surgeon trained by Dr. James Andrews, the renowned specialist who examined Griffin on Tuesday.

Robert Griffin III twists his knees as he reaches for the loose ball in a loss to Seattle. (AP)Michael Jablonski, a former team physician for the Orlando Magic, said he tells patients who have injuries similar to Griffin's to expect eight to 12 months to return to play, and more than that to feel as strong and stable as before the injury.

Griffin's rehab could go well and he may be on the field for the Redskins' season-opener. But there is also a possibility the Washington Redskins star rookie quarterback may not regain the Olympic speed he has shown in his career so far.

It was reported Tuesday that Dr. Andrews will surgically repair Griffin's lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, which he tore in Sunday's wild-card loss against the

Howard Schnellenberger would like a word with the NFL.

Specifically, the many folks who make up the multimillion dollar NFL scouting system.

Schnellenberger, the venerable old coach who built the University of Miami football program from next to nothing into a national champion, has a question:

What in tarnation is wrong with you people?!

Toward the end of his career, Schnellenberger coached a Pensacola product named Alfred Morris at Florida Atlantic University. He watched Morris run for more than 3,500 yards in his three full seasons with the Owls. He praised Morris to high heaven to anyone who would listen and many who wouldn't. And, yet, Morris fell to the sixth round of the 2012 NFL draft, the 173rd player drafted.

Now, to the surprise of everyone except Howard Schnellenberger, Morris is a breakout star for the Washington Redskins. And none other than Robert Griffin III says Morris gets his Rookie Of The Year vote.

Howard Schnellenberger (AP) "He runs like Jim Brown," Schnellenberger says.