Star Lotulelei was expecting to wow onlookers at the NFL Scouting Combine over the weekend.
Instead the Utah product, who is the top-ranked player at his position on most team's draft boards, didn't even work out after it was revealed he is dealing with a potentially serious heart condition, one which could result in a draft day slide for Lotulelei as possible suitors deal with durability and longevity issues.
You knew something was wrong on Sunday when Lotulelei was a no-show and ESPN's Chris Mortensen first reported the news, finding out that Lotulelei's left ventricle is pumping at 44 percent efficiency compared to the normal range of 55 to 70 percent.
The issue is serious enough that officials at the combine asked Lotulelei to shut it down until he is evaluated by a specialist sometime this week in Salt Lake City.
On the surface, this looks like a disaster for Lotulelei, who could have been a top-five selection in April's draft.
Take a step back, however, and understand this diagnosis could have short- circuited a potential tragedy and it's certainly the best thing for Lotulelei in the long run.
If doctors can solve the issue and clear Lotulelei, who is still interviewing with teams in Indianapolis, he will still have plenty of time to impress scouts at Utah's pro day in March.
TEO TRIES TO SHIFT FOCUS BACK TO FOOTBALL
For a while, Te'o-ing surpassed Tebow-ing in Internet fame, but that will probably be the extent of the damage done to the king of the "Catfish."
That and the ribbing Manti Te'o will receive in an NFL locker room.
Te'o tried to shift the focus from the now-infamous hoax involving his fake girlfriend back to football on Saturday.
Te'o, of course, claims he was led to believe a girlfriend he had met online, Lennay Kekua, was a real person who died from cancer. In reality, a man named Ronaiah Tuiasosopo created Kekua out of thin air.
"It's definitely embarrassing," Te'o said at his highly anticipated press conference. "When you walk into the grocery store and you get people giving double takes and they're sitting there staring at you, it's definitely embarrassing. I guess its part of the process, part of the journey. It's only going to make me stronger and it definitely has."
The Heisman Trophy runner-up was barraged by questions on the hoax and how NFL teams have reacted to the story.
"I understand people have questions, but I've answered everything I could. For me, I'd really like to talk about football," Te'o said.
"I've said all I need to say about that. How I'm handling it going forward is doing what I'm doing, focusing on the moment, focusing on football and the combine."
At the time of his press conference on Saturday, Te'o had only met with two teams -- the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers -- but had meetings scheduled with 18 others, all looking for answers.
"Teams want to be able to trust their player," he said. "You don't want to invest in somebody you can't trust."
At the end of the day, NFL teams have dealt with far worse when it comes to talented young men, so if Te'o proves he has NFL-caliber athleticism at the combine or Notre Dame's pro day, Lennay Kekua will be quickly forgotten, at least as far as the NFL is concerned.
"What I bring to the table is a lot of heart, a lot of energy and somebody that works hard," Te'o said. "Somebody who hates to lose. I always say, 'I hate losing more than I love to win.'"
Another possible hiccup for Te'O surfaced on Sunday when it was revealed he will not take part in the bench press workout due to a a stinger in his right shoulder.
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