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Tim Tebow Explains Why He’ll Never Stop Talking About Jesus


Perhaps you’ve heard what former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said about current Broncos quarterback/cultural phenomenon Tim Tebow on the radio recently. Plummer had some praise for Tebow as a player despite his passing deficiencies, calling him “a winner.” He also, though, didn’t come off as such a fan of how Tebow’s very, very openly very, very religious. To wit:

I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ then I think I’ll like him a little better. I don’t hate him because of that, I just would rather not have to hear that every single time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff.

Well, that caused a bit of a stir, and today, Tebow was asked his thoughts on the comments. The person asking him: Skip Bayless, one of the media’s most infuriatingly pro-Tebow voices, on ESPN’s First Take. And based on Tebow’s (unfailingly good-natured) response, don’t expect the Jesus talk to end anytime soon:

We have to say, we loved that Tebow thanked Plummer for the “winner” compliment (that could be the new “‘preciate that“). And re: the Jesus shoutouts – clearly it’s exceedingly important to Tebow. It’s worked for him throughout his life. He’s got the right to publicly thank Jesus, so he does it. In that sense, good for him.

But we also see where Plummer’s coming from. Tebow’s not the only athlete to thank Jesus on a regular basis, but we’d venture to say no one with a higher profile has done it with more frequency (not to mention, the frequency of the Jesus mentions contributed in no small part to Tebow having such a high profile to begin with). And while it may well be true that Tebow’s thanking Jesus so much because of what He means to Tebow himself, he’s not doing it in a vacuum.

Tebow knows this. We all hear those thanks. We think about them. Some people are moved by them. And Tebow, we have to believe, really likes that. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t speak at prisons. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t shoot slyly anti-abortion commercials for Focus on the Family. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t spend so much time doing missionary work with his father.

Tebow’s message isn’t just for Jesus, and many people are content with the way they live their lives and don’t want their football with a heaping side of proselytizing. Jake Plummer, apparently, is one of them. And that, too, is okay. Just like Tebow can tell us all how much he loves Jesus, everyone who wants to tune him out and focus their energy on wondering when he’ll become a more efficient passer will do that. Just don’t expect it to make any of the Jesus talk go away.

Getty photo, by Garrett Ellwood



  • http://www.sportsreviews.com Brandon Williams

    It’s kind of a love hate thing from both ends. Tebow, while I love what he stands for and what he does, has been known to be very excessive in his celebrations of Jesus, although it is fine. It will rub some people the wrong way, such as Plummer, but it’s who he is. With Plummer, saying Tebow to stop is using freedom of speech, which is what Tebow is practicing. I say let the kid do what he wants to do. As long as he’s not trying to convert people in post game press conferences, I don’t see harm in it.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LDO6LIQBI2JQ4Q5MWLWBKGKSJY bensanity

    As long as people in the media don’t use this as an excuse to mock and repress the free and open expression of the belief in Jesus Christ, Brandon Williams is exactly right

  • Laurence Glavin

    Here’s a thought:  the year 2010 is supposedly 2,000 years since JC’s death and “resurrection”.  All during that year, I suspect Jesus-believers will be running around telling everybody in sight to get ready for his return, the “rapture”…just like that crazy guy on the radio earlier this year.  Then on January 1st, 2031, the sun will come up as usual, no Jesus, no “rapture”.  Then maybe, MAYBE they will shut up for a while!

  • Laurence Glavin

    Oops…I meant 2030.  Hey, I’m not infalliable.  Nobody is.

  • Laurence Glavin

    Oops…I meant INFALLIBLE. 

  • Humboldtblue

    His father immediately took down the website he had up for years after folks began noticing that his “ministry” is a homophobic, misogynist, anti-democratic wasteland where it’s preached that if you don’t believe in the invisible sky-daddy in the exact same fashion as these hateful yahoos like the Tebows, you really have no business living.

    There is nothing honorable in the Dobson hate-fest, Focus on the Family is a noted hate group, a step above Fred Phelps and his clan, a gathering of willfully ignorant, intolerant bigots who hide behind their false piety to make the lives of fellow human beings as difficult as possible. Tebow is a product of that swamp with his childish proselytizing. He may be exercising his free speech, but he does it in a “look-at-me-’I'm-holier-and-better-and-more-faithful-than-you” manner which immediately makes rational, reasonable people turn away in disgust.

    His particular theology is an abomination to science, to his fellow human beings and to common sense, and to watch this clown, this silly man trot around like he’s in fucking church witnessing over and over again makes him the point of mockery that he’s become.

    Fuck him, fuck his church, fuck his hate-filled family of pig-ignorant snake-oil salespeople who peddle superstition and and ignorance. They make the world a far worse place than it should be and every time he takes a knee and embarrasses himself on national TV he announces to the world that indeed, he’s a grade-A douchebag.

  • Ftheaclu

    There is nothing more intolerant than liberals who preach tolerance. I am sure “Humboldtblue” wouldn’t have the balls to write the same thing if a player said “praise be to Allah” every chance he got.

  • Nathan Lanting

    Humboldtblue… 

    I don’t know who you are… or anything about you… Im not sure where you live, who you know, where you’ve been, what you’ve done… I know absolutely nothing about you… Im not even sure if you will read this ..ever. But I wanted to let you know that I sincerely love you… I feel your anger toward religion…toward bigots, towards homophobs,toward people that say one thing and do the other… that stuff sucks. But bro, I want to let you know that I love you .. no matter how much you know about me or what you think about me or any words you have for me.. I love you. And not in a weird way dude… when I say love.. I mean an “I understand you bro” love .. a “dude keep yelling” love .. a “no matter what you do” love.. a “i want the best things for you” love. Bro… I understand the frustration of religion, of peoples history and their deep roots… I understand the anger and want to tell ppl to just shut up. So why do I tell you I understand and that I love you… well straight forward I want to tell you this because I DO man… I read what you wrote and I thought man this guy is so awesome and worth it. Brother I want you to know that God loves you like crazy.. I know you hate that man… like “whose this fucking douche telling me he knows me and loves me and wants me to know God or some bullshit”… sorry if I put word down that arent yours… but man… I want to tell you that God is good.. everything people say he is, HE is man… He so desperately loves you … the reason Jesus is always talked about is because that love was shown through Him… Im not gonna tell you something you have already heard a billion times from evangilists or religious ppl, but bro in love I would have never just sat here and wrote something to you (who may never even read this) if I did want what was best for you (“like you “know” whats best for me!”)… you can reject this all.. thats fine … just know that I love you and God does too.. way more than me… its worth it man, its worth it. A man to a man.. I challenge you to take one day.. just ONE day (why not?) and just be like okay God of the Bible! … if you are all that these crazies say you are then you show me yourself or Im done with you” .. and just see what happens. Keep rocking who you are.. love you dude. 

    - Some dude with little to say…
                                                            Nathan Lanting

  • Nathan Lanting

    Humboldtblue… 

    I don’t know who you are… or anything about you… Im not sure where you live, who you know, where you’ve been, what you’ve done… I know absolutely nothing about you… Im not even sure if you will read this ..ever. But I wanted to let you know that I sincerely love you… I feel your anger toward religion…toward bigots, towards homophobs,toward people that say one thing and do the other… that stuff sucks. But bro, I want to let you know that I love you .. no matter how much you know about me or what you think about me or any words you have for me.. I love you. And not in a weird way dude… when I say love.. I mean an “I understand you bro” love .. a “dude keep yelling” love .. a “no matter what you do” love.. a “i want the best things for you” love. Bro… I understand the frustration of religion, of peoples history and their deep roots… I understand the anger and want to tell ppl to just shut up. So why do I tell you I understand and that I love you… well straight forward I want to tell you this because I DO man… I read what you wrote and I thought man this guy is so awesome and worth it. Brother I want you to know that God loves you like crazy.. I know you hate that man… like “whose this fucking douche telling me he knows me and loves me and wants me to know God or some bullshit”… sorry if I put word down that arent yours… but man… I want to tell you that God is good.. everything people say he is, HE is man… He so desperately loves you … the reason Jesus is always talked about is because that love was shown through Him… Im not gonna tell you something you have already heard a billion times from evangilists or religious ppl, but bro in love I would have never just sat here and wrote something to you (who may never even read this) if I did want what was best for you (“like you “know” whats best for me!”)… you can reject this all.. thats fine … just know that I love you and God does too.. way more than me… its worth it man, its worth it. A man to a man.. I challenge you to take one day.. just ONE day (why not?) and just be like okay God of the Bible! … if you are all that these crazies say you are then you show me yourself or Im done with you” .. and just see what happens. Keep rocking who you are.. love you dude. 

    - Some dude with little to say…
                                                            Nathan Lanting

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