NPR Sports

One of the top collegiate football players in the country, Notre Dame's Manti Te'o, was lionized by the media amid stories of his perseverance on the field after both his grandmother and his girlfriend died.

Thanks to an expose by Deadspin, the girlfriend's very existence is now believed to be a hoax, throwing the Heisman runner-up and his university on the defensive.

Manti Te'o — a linebacker for Notre Dame and a former Heisman Trophy candidate — has come under fire for allegedly making up a girlfriend who died of cancer. Robert Siegel speaks with sports correspondent Mike Pesca for more on the story.

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong's confession to doping isn't just a matter of passing interest to sports fans, it has the potential to be pivotal new evidence in a raft of legal matters that have swirled around the cycling star for years.

Armstrong already has lost his battle with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which detailed "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program" in sports when it announced a lifetime ban of the cyclist last October.

As those who care wait anxiously for Part 1 of cycling superstar Lance Armstrong's confessional with Oprah Winfrey, there's word that the International Olympic Committee has asked Armstrong to return the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Olympics.

The IOC's statement says:

If you're trying to make sense of the news that Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o now says he was the victim of a hoax and that the woman he thought was his "girlfriend" never existed and never died, you'll want to read an Oct. 12 story published by the South Bend Tribune.

Star Linebacker Manti Te'o's play gained national attention. His achievements were particularly noteworthy because his last year of play was marred by the deaths of his grandmother and of his girlfriend. Now it appears the girlfriend didn't exist.

Manti Te'o, the Notre Dame linebacker who nearly won the Heisman Trophy this season, is at the center of what Deadspin reports is a "hoax," in which the story of a girlfriend — and her tragic death — was fabricated. The site is questioning the existence of a girl Te'o has said inspired him to new heights. We'll update this post with new information as it emerges.

Update at 9 p.m. Notre Dame News Conference

The City of Austin, Texas, is singularly attached its favorite son, Lance Armstrong. His bike shop and Livestrong foundation are there. Now that Oprah Winfrey has confirmed that Armstrong confessed to doping and lied about it, can his foundation recover from the doping controversy?

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The lockout is over and the much delayed National Hockey League's season is now set to begin on Saturday. The regular season will run 48 games instead of the usual 82.

So what's the economic effect of missing almost half the season? NPR's Mike Pesca finds, not as bad as you might think.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: We've all seen the reports during the lockout, the empty bar near the arena should be brimming with Bruins backers or a Washington Avalanche acolytes. Or maybe it's not a bar. Maybe it's pizza in Pittsburgh.