NFL Most Disliked Players: Is Manti Te’o The New Tim Tebow?

The NFL list of the most disliked players revealed a somewhat surprising pick among the athletes most reviled by fans — San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te’o.

The Forbes poll of the Most-Disliked NFL Players was conducted by E-Poll Market Research, a California-based firm that measures public opinion of thousands of other celebrities based on likability.

The list was topped — not surprisingly — by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, showing that fans are not ready to forgive him for his role in a dog fighting ring. But No. 2 on the list seemed to come out of nowhere.

Manti Te’o was known as a playmaking linebacker at Notre Dame last season before he gained fame for a more notorious incident. A story written after the season ended exposed Te’o as the victim of an elaborate ruse in which an acquaintance made up a fake girlfriend who Te’o fell in love with.

After the girlfriend “died,” Te’o learned that she had never actually existed, but could not bring himself to admit it in public. It may have been a bit foolish on his part, but it was proven that he knew nothing of the deception and he was indeed a victim himself.

Te’o scored at 48 percent dislike in the poll, which E-Poll CEO Gerry Philpott said related directly to the fake girlfriend drama.

“I think this will stay with him until he gets the chance to prove them wrong,” Philpott said.

The NFL most disliked status for Te’o is similar to former quarterback Tim Tebow, who was a polarizing figure to the public despite being popular in the locker room. Though overall Tebow is very popular — and was named the most influential athlete by Forbes despite not having a team to call his own — he still elicits strong emotions from those who disagree with his on-field displays of faith and public pro-life stance.

The inclusion of Manti Te’o and Tebow among the NFL most unpopular players show that fans appreciate players who don’t make waves.