Manti Te’o of Notre Dame to play through grief after deaths of grandmother and girlfriend
Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o had a terrible week of tragedy and loss.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Te'o's grandmother passed away on Tuesday night. The next day Te'o's girlfriend, identified by the Detroit Free Press as Lennay Kekua, lost a battle with leukemia.
The Chicago Tribune said Te'o plans to play at Michigan State, and it sounds like his Irish teammates have helped him through an unspeakably difficult 24-hour stretch:
"He lost some people very close to him, and it's obviously taken a toll on him," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "Our players have been there for him and have been a great support. We'll support him. He'll be with us. He practiced. He'll be playing Saturday against Michigan State.
"Unfortunately, he's gone through a very rough 24, 48 hours. But his support and his family at home have been great, and all of the coaches and players have been there for him. He wants to be with his teammates, he wants to be with the people that care about him. He's a strong man and he's going through a tough time, but he'll rise to the occasion."
Here's hoping being with his teammates this weekend helps Te'o get through the grief of a devastating week.
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