NEW YORK – Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o admitted to Katie Couric he answered questions about his “dead” online girlfriend even after he received a call Dec. 6 from a woman posing as the fake person.

Te’o also maintained he played no part in the hoax.

Additional Photos

Manti Te'o talks to Katie Couric about the hoax that led him to believe his online (and, it turned out, non-existent) girlfriend was dead. He admitted that he kept referring to his dead girlfriend even after learning otherwise. The Associated Press

Diane O'Meara, aka Te'o's "girlfriend" Lennay Kekua The Associated Press

"Matrix" series actor Laurence Fishburne The Associated Press

Pressed by Couric to admit that he was in on the deception, the All-American said he was convinced the woman he knew as Lennay Kekua died in September. Te’o claims he never met Kekua in person but developed a serious relationship with her through phone calls and electronic messages.

“Katie, put yourself in my situation. I, my whole world told me that she died on Sept. 12. Everybody knew that. This girl, who I committed myself to, died on Sept. 12,” Te’o said in an interview to air Thursday on Couric’s syndicated talk show. A segment of the interview with Te’o and his parents was broadcast Wednesday on “Good Morning America.”

“Now I get a phone call on Dec. 6, saying that she’s alive and then I’m going be put on national TV two days later. And to ask me about the same question. You know, what would you do?” Te’o said.

The Heisman Trophy finalist made at least three references to his girlfriend in media interviews after Dec. 6, including during ESPN’s Heisman presentation show on Dec. 8.

Te’o’s father defended his son when Couric pointed out that many people don’t believe the Irish star, suspecting he used the situation for personal gain.

“People can speculate about what they think he is. I’ve known him 21 years of his life. And he’s not a liar. He’s a kid,” Brian Te’o said with tears in his eyes.

On Tuesday, the woman whose photo was used as the “face” of the Twitter account of Te’o’s supposed girlfriend says the man allegedly behind the hoax confessed and apologized to her.

Diane O’Meara told NBC’s “Today” show that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo used pictures of her without her knowledge in creating a fake woman called Lennay Kekua.

Te’o told ESPN last week that Tuiasosopo had contacted him to apologize for the hoax soon after Deadspin.com broke the news with a long report. Te’o told ESPN that not until Tuiasosopo confessed did he finally, fully realize Kekua did not exist.

Tuiasosopo has not commented on the scheme.

The top FBI agent in northern Indiana said authorities don’t believe a crime was committed, so there is no investigation.

“I don’t think there was any financial harm to Mr. Te’o,” said Robert Ramsey, FBI supervisory special agent for northern Indiana. “There was no federal violation regarding the Internet hoax perpetrated against Mr. Te’o.”

Judge leaves Fishburne at felon’s mercy

LOS ANGELES – A judge refused Wednesday to grant Laurence Fishburne a three-year restraining order against a convicted felon who claims he owns the actor’s home.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson said she could not consider Mark Francisco’s criminal history and she did not think his conduct warranted a lengthy restraining order.

Francisco, who police say was recently paroled on a cyberstalking case, went to the actor’s home on Jan. 1 and threatened to evict the family. He also left a letter at the Oscar-nominated actor’s home, but the judge said there was nothing threatening about it.

Fishburne’s attorney, Donald Etra, said Francisco was waving an umbrella. The actor’s security guard testified Wednesday that the man was agitated while speaking to him outside the gated home.

Neither Fishburne nor Francisco attended the hearing.

The actor had been given a temporary restraining order, but Goodson said Francisco’s conduct didn’t warrant an extension.

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