Why has Tim Tebow's comeback become more than a roster issue?

 By Tony Mangia

The news that Tim Tebow had a familiar new neighbor move in next to him came as no shock to many who know that the the Jacksonville native has always had a close relationship with his former University of Florida coach Urban Meyer. But, after that happy news made the rounds, reports that the new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach was giving Tebow a shot with the team as a tight end hit social media and the controversy began.

Suddenly there was less chatter about Meyer borrowing a leaf blower and more noise about fanning the flames of division, politics and conspiracy.

It didn’t take long for the pundits, prophets and naysayers around the NFL including most fans to voice disbelief that Tebow signed with the Jaguars. The Christian footballer doesn’t have a prayer they say.

Many considered it a publicity stunt and don’t expect someone who hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2012 to even have a chance at making the team. 

It wouldn’t be the first time Tebow — a Heisman winner and one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time — was considered a gimmick or some sort of marketing one-trick pony. Who could forget Tebow replacing Denver Broncos starter Kyle Orton in 2011 and making the term “Wildcat Offense”  almost as popular as the "Tebow Kneel.”

Tebow’s legendary, but brief, NFL career was diminished after an uneventful year with the New York Jets and then spending five years as a minor leaguer with the New York Mets where he was one of Triple-A’s biggest names — albeit without ever getting called up to The Show.

He heard the same derisive screams as an average home run hitter …  but with exceptional gate drawing power.

Besides being a devout Christian, philanthropic do-gooder and all-round nice guy, Tebow is blessed with the size, physical abilities and mental toughness to compete and thrive in many sports.  And the last time I heard, those were all excellent attributes for a professional athlete to have.

So why all of the hate for Tebow?  Isn’t a feel good story about an athlete getting another shot the basis of almost every sports cliche?  How many sports movies would be made if this wasn’t the case?

The question for Tebow seems to be less about if he'll make the cut on Jacksonville's 53-man roster than why is he even getting a shot. It’s like when the name Tim Tebow pops up in various training camps, the social media trolls come out.

It’s one thing to shake your head about someone playing out-of-position, their time away from the game or even his advancing age of 33, but is there some other underlying reason people turn Tebow into a lightning rod of doubt and ridicule?

Maybe it's his Billy Graham homilies or the P.T. Barnum aura — which seemed to have surrounded Tebow his whole life in professional sports — riling people up? Or, more reasonably, the argument that he is taking the roster spot from a younger, position-ready player. 

Some, like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, have gone as far as signaling it as white privilege.

Smith suggested that Meyer bringing Tebow to the Jags is just another example of “someone of a different ilk, a different ethnicity, getting opportunities that we know we would never get.”

“That’s where the words white privilege come in,” he tried to explain before exclaiming, “There’s no way to eradicate white privilege without white individuals giving up some of their privilege.”

The talking head quickly backtracked by mentioning that he didn’t believe Tebow was signed because he was white, but that race still played a role in how it even happened.

“I’m not saying he did it for Tim Tebow because he was white or anything like that. It has nothing to do with their race in regards to that. I’m simply saying when you see an opportunity like that happen, it is clear that it happens for white folks, and it doesn’t happen for everybody else,” Smith said, continuing to stir the flames of division.

Smith insinuated the same thing about the Brooklyn Nets hiring neophyte head coach Steve Nash last year.

“There is no way around it,” Smith said. “This is white privilege. This doesn’t happen for a black man.”

Smith’s point of view might work in the real world, but not in the pre-pandemic, already bubble world of professional athletes.

When was the last time LeBron James was chastised for anything? James seems to get a pass on everything from breaking NBA’s COVID safety protocols, threatening police officers on Twitter to being a complacent shill for the NBA's partnership with Communist China.

Former NFL great, Eric Dickerson, also voiced his opinion of Tebow's comeback as, "Bullshit."

After a gossip site reporter compared Tebow's opportunity to another kneeler's, Colin Kaepernick, the Hall of Famer steamed.

"Of course [Kaepernick] is getting punished," said Dickerson. "He's black."

But how many rants did you hear when 32-year-old malcontent Dez Bryant signed with the Ravens after his layoff?

If anything, Tebow’s comeback should be inspiring.

Even Brandon Jacobs wants to make a comeback … as a defensive end. The former Giants running back tweeted the announcement last week.

"I am really serious about coming back as a defensive end," he posted. “I can still run, I am strong and there's no way Tebow is a better athlete than I am. I just need a shot that's it!! If I can't cut it I'll take it like a man. Just give me one chance that's all!!"

Despite the politicization, who knows where this could lead? Maybe we’ll see a few more 40-something quarterbacks in the Super Bowl?

And all the ranting in the world won’t squash the fact that Tebow has already signed a contract and gained a spot on Jacksonville’s 90-man roster this spring. The next question becomes whether he’ll land on the 53-man team this season.

One NFL player who is excited to see Tebow on the practice field is rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

"I never met Tim until last week, so I didn't really know him," said the new Jaguars QB. "But I was intrigued by his character, his work ethic and what he's been able to do throughout his life on the field and off the field." 

It is doubtful the once Friar Tuck- coiffed Tebow (Bet y’all forgot that timeline) will take any snaps from under the center this summer, but his experience and guidance could only help the rocker-haired rookie. 

The presence of Tebow, a two-time National College Champion, will also draw some of the media spotlight away from Lawrence, a one-time champion at Clemson.  

That could end up being Tebow’s biggest contribution to the team.