Football isn’t only option for Te’o moving forward
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Speaking last weekend at the HHSAA Hall of Honor ceremony, Manti Te’o reflected on his time in the NFL and what he has learned from his past as he looks towards the future.
“I’m still training.” Te’o said, “I finished my last year with the New Orleans Saints. And what a magical ride it was for the past two years.”
During his time in the Big Easy, the Saints made it to the playoffs in consecutive with the Laie native accounting for 55 solo tackles in 21 games before a knee injury sidelined him for most of his 2018 season.
Currently a free agent, Te’o’s dreams of playing in the NFL are far from over. However, playing football isn’t his only option moving forward.
Now looking for what’s next, Te’o, who attended the University of Notre Dame, said that he may look towards things other than football.
“Now, I’m a free agent.” Te’o said, “I’m still training and preparing but I’ve kind of ventured in different aspects of business. I’m in real estate, I’m getting into the oil companies in Texas, I’m doing commercial stuff, single-family home stuff, just stuff everywhere.”
This shift into business came from the things the Punahou graduate has learned from his many teachers throughout his life, especially the lessons he learned during his time at Notre Dame.
“That all has to go with my family.” Te’o said, “Things that I’ve been taught by my family, things that my teachers taught me at Punahou, things that my teachers taught me at Notre Dame and I kinda took all of that and ran with it.”
The bright lights and the roaring crowds don't last forever. And Te’o has come to terms with that reality.
“Like I said before, a lot of the challenges that I faced kind of put me in this situation where I got to educate myself about things because football’s not going to last forever,” he said. “I’m grateful that I did and that I’m in a situation where I can choose now. So I’m happy.”
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Football isn’t only option for Te’o moving forward