Manti Te'o's 'girlfriend' was Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, voice mails released

The story of Manti Te'o just keeps getting deeper and stranger. The New York Daily News is reporting the person Te'o spoke with on the phone wasn't a woman impersonating his fake girlfriend, it was a guy. In fact, it was the man that masterminded the entire hoax, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo.

Tuiasosopo's lawyer, Milton Grimes, spoke with the paper, confirming Manti "thought it was a female he was talking with," however, "It was Ronaiah as Lennay." Grimes' defense is that what his client did is no different than an actor playing a part in a movie, saying, "Come on, Hollywood does it all the time."

How good of an actor was Tuiasosopo, though? Katie Couric has released three voice mails he left Te'o with his voice disguised as "Lennay." Manti Te'o's interview with Couric is scheduled to air Thursday. The Katie website has been up and down all day, so enjoy them courtesy of TMZ.

The first and third voice mails sound like normal messages being left for a boyfriend, saying she misses him and loves him. The second one, however, take on an angrier tone. In that message, "Lennay" supposedly believed Te'o had someone else with him in his room.

With Te'o getting the chance to tell his side of the story, Tuiasosopo wants a shot as well. His lawyer says he is currently seeing a mental health professional.