Former Notre Dame star and NFL linebacker Manti Te’o may be on the verge of breaking into the sports media world.
Jason McCourty’s time on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football is up, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. When the show relaunches from Los Angeles in August, the longtime NFL defensive back will no longer be a part of it.
Te’o, 33, is apparently one of two ex-NFLers being looked at as a potential replacement for McCourty.
“Two names that have been considered are former NFL players Manti Te’o and Akbar Gbajabiamila, according to the sources,” Marchand wrote. “Te’o impressed during a recent NFL Media Boot camp, while Gbajabiamila has been part of CBS’ “The Talk,” which is reportedly being canceled at the end of the year.”
A native of Hawaii, Te’o starred at Notre Dame from 2009-12, winning several major national awards and finishing second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy as a senior.
Following the end of his final college season, news broke that Te’o had fallen victim to an infamous catfishing scheme, which ruined his reputation.
In a Netflix documentary released in 2022, Te’o said the fallout from the embarrassing episode had a negative impact on his NFL career. A second-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in 2013, Te’o played eight seasons professionally, finishing his career with the Chicago Bears in 2020.
He registered 307 total tackles in 62 regular season games before retiring.