SAN DIEGO >> Laie’s Manti Te’o is just one of the guys.

He’s confident he can be a three-down linebacker in the NFL.

It takes some serious leverage to play against tight end Antonio Gates.

Being drafted by the San Diego Chargers has put the former Notre Dame star in a “perfect place” because of the support from those in the organization.

Oh, and Te’o and some friends “just chilled and had a good time” last month in Hollywood at a party hosted by Maxim magazine, which included Te’o’s fake girlfriend on its list of the world’s 100 hottest women.

Kept largely off limits since the draft by rookie head coach Mike McCoy, Te’o was allowed to speak with reporters for the first time in more than a month as the Chargers opened minicamp Tuesday.

Questions about football outnumbered the ones about the fallout from him being the target of a hoax involving a fake girlfriend.

Te’o said he’s had no problem putting behind him the issues that dogged him since they surfaced in January.

“When we’re out on the football field, everything else doesn’t matter,” he said. “Thankfully for me, I’m surrounded by a bunch of teammates who have really pushed me to be better. All they care about is that No. 50 is working his butt off. I’ll take care of the work ethic part and for them, they just make sure that I’m going in the right direction. Personally, that hasn’t been difficult at all.

“We have a saying in the defensive room: ‘Keep the main thing the main thing.’ I’m here to play football. I’m here to be the best Charger I can be and I’m not going to let anything get in the way of that. We’ll keep the main thing the main thing.”