The arrival of April Fools’ Day Monday can only mean one thing.

It’s time to announce my annual award for Sports Fool of the Year.

Football has provided the winner of this honor in recent years, the honorees including New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and Gregg Williams, the Pitt program, Ben Roethlisberger and Plaxico Burress.

Contenders come from all over the sports world this time around.

Lance Armstrong warrants consideration. The man publicly called his critics liars about his alleged doping when he was the only one lying all along.

Like the truth wasn’t going to come out eventually? It always does. Now the man has gone from one of the most popular figures in sports to one of the most despised.

Foolish.

The Boston Red Sox parted ways with a two-time World Series champion in Terry Francona and replaced him with ... Bobby Valentine?

Disastrous — and a last-place finish.

Foolish.

Pirate manager Clint Hurdle mapped out a way his team can win 95 games this year. Even if there is such a way, when your team has posted 20 consecutive losing seasons, keep it to yourself.

Foolish.

Miami Marlins owner Jeff Loria built a new ballpark and spent millions putting a team in it that he felt could contend for a division title.

Before the season was over, he began gutting that team, fired his manager and watched tons of empty seats suddenly appear.

Foolish.

The Los Angeles Lakers brought in NBA stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to join Kobe Bryant in building an all-star team that could rival the Miami Heat.

They wind up firing their coach barely 10 games into the season and are struggling to make the playoffs.

Foolish.

Ahh, then there’s football.

Elvis Dumervil’s agent messed up the paperwork for his Pro Bowl defensive lineman’s return to the Denver Broncos. Dumervil winds up in Baltimore and the agent gets fired for his efforts, or lack thereof.

Broncos safety Rahim Moore changed the course of NFL playoff history by backpedaling on Joe Flacco’s 70-yard game-tying touchdown bomb in the waning seconds of regulation.

Turn around and run, Rahim. The interception was waiting for you. The Broncos would have advanced and Flacco never could have cashed in on $120 million.

All of the above are qualified candidates for Fool of the Year.

None reeled it in.

That distinction goes to Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o for his sickly and eventually dead girlfriend who never existed.

This turned into one of the most bizarre stories the sports world has ever seen.

If Te’o made the whole thing up, he’s a fool. If he was duped, he’s still a fool.

Correct that.

He’s Fool of the Year.