Alleged hoaxer says he loves Te'o

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NEW YORK, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- The alleged mastermind behind the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, said in an ABC interview he was in love with the Notre Dame standout.

Dr. Phil McGraw said he and Tuiasosopo watched Te'o's interview Jan. 24 with ABC News' Katie Couric on Jan. 24 and then sat down for their own interview. ABC said the interview will be broadcast Thursday and Friday.

"Here we have a young man that fell deeply, romantically in love," Dr. Phil McGraw told NBC's "Today." "I asked him straight up, 'Was this a romantic relationship with you?' And he says yes. I said, 'Are you then therefore gay?' And he said, 'When you put it that way, yes.' And then he caught himself and said, 'I am confused.'"