It has recently been released that Te'o took the time to write a personal letter to a young, 12-year-old Leukemia patient and Notre Dame fan named Bridget Smith. Smith, after as much treatment as possible, was taken off her ventilator on October 5th when her parents received an email from the all-star linebacker.
Te'o lost his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, to the same disease that was slowly killing Bridget. He took the time to write this email, unknown to even his coaches and the Notre Dame organization, to express how important Bridget was to him. Bridget's parents read her the letter while she lay in her hospital bed.
Although the Smith's have decided to ultimately keep the entirety of the email private, they did release the very end of what Te'o had to say:
“Please tell Bridget that I am her biggest fan. Thank her for me for being an inspiration for me. I wish you and your family all the best. And know that I will be praying for your family, especially Bridget. God bless you all, Manti Te’o.”
If that doesn't have man/football player/hero/greatest person of the year written all over it, I'm not sure what does.