In a decision that may have surprised some people, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o announced on Monday that he would return to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2012 rather than declare for the NFL draft. Te'o spoke at length with family members and ultimately decided it was more important for him to finish his career at Notre Dame:
One of inspiring things he shared with us was, what can he live with if decided to go pro?" [Manti's father] Brian Te'o said. "Can he live with not having the memory of his senior season? Could I be satisfied with millions and live without the memory? Or can I live without the millions and have the memories?
"He goes, 'I can do that. I can live with my career possible ending at Notre Dame.'"
Te'o is rated the No. 13 prospect in the draft by ESPN's Mel Kiper, and the conclusion from the Te'o family's research was that he would most likely be selected in the mid-to-late first round.
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