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.

Super Bowl Portfolio (1984-95)

All Photos by Tony Mangia

Colorado school district bans students from wearing Peyton Manning jerseys

While Peyton Manning gets ready to play possibly his last game in the NFL, one Colorado school district has banned students from wearing the future Hall of Famer’s No. 18 jersey — and it's not because they are Cam Newton fans.

That's because Manning’s iconic jersey number could be used to show loyalty to the local “18th Street Gang, according to officials at Greeley-Evans School District 6.

Manning's No. 18 makes it one of six numbers identified by the district — which operates 25 schools — as having potential gang associations.

So all you Owen Daniels fans are out of luck too.

The five other numbers identified as gang-related by the district and can’t be worn by students in the public district, about an hour from the Bronco’s Mile High Stadium, are 13, 14, 31, 41 and Daniels' 81. Meaning you won't see any Trevor Siemian, Cody Latimer or Omar Bolden jerseys cruising the halls either.

“Gangs use those items of clothing for a few reasons,” school district spokeswoman Theresa Meyers told The Tribune, of Greeley. “They use them to recruit and they use them to intimidate.”

But the No. 1 sported by Newton, quarterback of Denver’s Super Bowl opponent the Carolina Panthers, will be allowed.

Manning has worn No. 18 since his collegiate days at University of Tennessee, and his jersey has been a big seller in Colorado since he became a Bronco in 2012.

But even with the Broncos in Sunday’s NFL championship, and schools around the state holding “Broncos Days,” Greeley-Evans hasn’t had to field any real complaints about its dress code.

“I think as time has gone on, it’s just an expectation,” Meyers said. “Now, people are just like, ‘That’s the rule.’”

Peyton Manning takes swipe at Al Jazeera America closing

If anyone was upset by news that cable news channel Al-Jazeera America was closing after only two years, Peyton Manning was definitely not one of them.

The Denver Broncos quarterback — who was linked to a banned human growth hormone by the network last month — made light of the announcement that Al Jazeera will soon shut down after failing to attract a wide enough audience in the US.

"I'm sure it's just devastating to all their viewers," Manning sneered at a press conference in Colorado Wednesday.

And with good reason.

The fledgling news outlet  aired a documentary, The Dark Side: Secrets of the Sports Dopers, and reported that Manning ordered shipments of HGH which were shipped to his wife Ashley while he was rehabilitating from a neck injury in 2011.

The 39-year-old Manning has vehemently denied Al Jazeera's accusations and denounced the report as "complete garbage" before threatening to sue the network.

Manning did miss the entire 2011 season as he was undergoing career-saving neck surgeries leading to his departure from the Indianapolis Colts before rebounding to a successful run in Denver.

In October 2013, the channel was launched after opening 12 bureaus in the United States and a state-of-the art studio in New York — backed by a $500 million investment.

However it had trouble persuading cable and satellite companies to carry it, and only had about 30,000 viewers in prime-time. 

A spokesman for Al Jazeera — which is owned by the Quatari royal family — told The Washington Post that news of the closure will not affect the department that reported the alleged doping scandal.

So far, nothing has come from the allegations and it doesn't sound like Peyton is too worried about them anyway.

Peyton Manning's wife was repeatedly sent HGH according to 'impeccably placed' source: Report

Peyton Manning returned to action on Sunday night, getting behind center in the third quarter of the Broncos' game against the Chargers and helping his team land the AFC's top seed. But, rising up with the quarterback's game is another source who alleges that the NFL superstar's wife, Ashley, had human growth hormone sent to their home.

A second "impeccably placed" source reportedly confirmed that HGH was repeatedly mailed to Manning's wife while he was recovering from neck surgeries in 2011.

Journalist Deborah Davies, who worked on last week's Al Jazeera documentary, which claimed Manning was linked to banned performance-enhancing drugs, said another anonymous source backed up the allegations made by pharmacist Charlie Sly.

Sly was secretly filmed saying Ashley Manning was sent human growth hormone while getting treatment at the Guyer Institute but retracted his words after discovering he had been recorded.

Davies told CNN: "We had a second source. Absolutely impeccably placed, knowledgeable and credible who confirmed exactly what Charlie Sly said.

"Shipments of HGH were repeatedly sent to Ashley Manning in Florida and other places in the US," said Davies. 

"This is a source we cannot name, we could not name. The value of that source was to add to the level of confidence we already had in what Charlie Sly was saying."

Last week the Broncos quarterback furiously denied the allegations in a seven-minute long rant on ESPN, claiming the allegations against his wife were "a freaking joke."

The investigative documentary shows Sly telling British amateur hurdler Liam Collins he was "part of a medical team that helped [Manning] recover" from neck surgery. 

"All the time we would be sending Ashley Manning drugs," Sly boasts. "Like growth hormone, all the time, everywhere, Florida. And it would never be under Peyton's name, it would always be under her name.

"Him and his wife would come in after hours and get IVs and s---."

Sly's account of the story was dismissed as hearsay after it was found out he didn't even work at the clinic in 2011.

Dr. Dale Guyer, from the Guyer Institute, has come forward to say the allegations were "completely fabricated."

HGH, along with other performance-enhancing drugs, is banned by the NFL and no one has tested positive for it since it was outlawed in 2011. The league has only been routinely testing players for it since 2014.

Sikh Broncos fans are denied entry to game 'because of their turbans'

Four Sikh Americans were initially denied entry to watch an NFL game in San Diego because they were wearing turbans.

According to  10 News, Verinder Malhi claims a security guard at Qualcomm Stadium told him and his three friends they had to take their turbans off if they wanted to see the Broncos-Chargers game last Sunday. 

The men were wearing bright orange Dastars to support the Broncos and had just driven seven hours from Fresno to watch them play. 

Malhi said the men were eventually let inside the stadium, but the security guard told them they could not wear their turbans if they ever returned. 

"It's bad, I mean, this is embarrassing for me," Malhi told the news station. 

"We are Americans at the end of the day. And we are not supposed to be afraid of fellow Americans." 

The men were stopped after another fan called the police on Malhi and his friends, claiming three men wearing turbans had been suspiciously fussing with items in their trunk before leaving the parking lot.

The car was cleared after police brought in a bomb-sniffing dog. 

Malhi said his friends had just put a bag in the car when they realized it wouldn't be permitted inside the stadium. 

"Everybody is kind of confusing us with the turbans, because what you see on TV is mostly the terrorists, they wear turbans," he said. 

"But our turbans is different, our faith is different, our beliefs are different." 

Tom Brady revealed real feelings about Peyton Manning in private emails released in DeflateGate case

In private emails released as part of Tom Brady’s fight with the NFL over his DeflateGate suspension, the four-time Super Bowl champion joked that Manning only has two years left while boasting about playing well into his 40s.

Brady wrote that his career will last at least five years longer than Manning’s. Manning is 39, Brady is 38.

The Patriots quarterback responded  to an article sent by childhood friend Kevin Brady (no relation) that compared the careers of the two future Hall of Famers, writing “I’ve got another 7 or 8 years. He has 2. That’s the final chapter. Game on.”

The message, obtained by the Boston Globe, was dated Nov. 1, 2014, the day after Brady threw for four touchdowns in a 43-21 win over Manning and the Broncos.

Maybe Brady was just talking smack with a buddy, thinking it would never get out. Or maybe he had some inside info since the Broncos quarterback is just three years removed from a serious neck surgery.

Two days later, Brady got an email from a blogger, Jay Flannelly who LOL’d about Manning needing “things to be perfect to succeed” and the Patriots quarterback didn’t disagree.

“We are some hard working grinders beav,” Brady wrote back. “That’s what our team is all about. Our best is still ahead of us.”

Brady, who is on friendly terms with Manning, might have spoke a little too soon about their Week 9 game being the “final chapter” — the Patriots visit Denver in Week 12 this season.

Peyton Manning visits site of Chattanooga shooting to pay respects

Peyton Manning quietly paid his respects to the victims of last week's horrific shooting at a Tennessee strip mall over the weekend. 

The Denver Broncos quarterback visited the Naval Marine Corps Reserve base near Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga where five American military servicemen were killed last Thursday.

After Manning's visit, officers posted photos on social media. 

One police officer and a Marine recruiter also suffered injuries after being shot during the deadly incident, which first began at a military recruiting center.

Manning has many ties to the state of Tennessee.  He played his college football at the University of Tennessee, married his wife Ashley in Memphis and he and his wife are minority owners of the Memphis Grizzlies NBA team.

NBC 3 reported that Manning showed up at the reserve late Saturday night to visit with military personnel and police officers.

The reserve is still an active crime scene that is being investigated by both local police and the FBI as they try to determine whether this was a domestic terrorism incident. 

Von Miller reveals Broncos fine him for farting during team meetings

Who knew Broncos defensive star Von Miller was hiding his mastery of offensive passing from Denver fans? Well ... make that hiding like SBD and passing ... as in gas.

Miller revealed to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post that he farts a lot in meetings and gets fined more than any other Broncos player for letting them rip.

Since I've received numerous inquires about the Broncos' Fart Tax, I'm gonna let Von explain. NFL dieting ain't easy. pic.twitter.com/OTAAaI8t82

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 3, 2015

“They can’t fine me if I get up and walk away,” Miller said. “It’s not healthy. I keep trying to tell them it’s not healthy if I just sit there and hold it in. Nobody in the world does that. I just do it more than the average person.”

Must be that thin Colorado air.

Tim Tebow taking one last shot at NFL: Report

Some dreams die hard and, when you are Tim Tebow, they seem to perish even harder.

It was an all but bygone conclusion that Tebow wouldn't ever play in the NFL again, but the former Broncos and Jets quarterback is intent on taking one last shot at the NFL, and he might attend the upcoming, first-ever combine for unsigned veterans, according to The Boston Globe.

The veterans' combine will be held in Phoenix on March 22, the first day of the league's annual meetings and give Tebow a chance to workout for all 32 NFL teams.

The 28-year-old Tebow hasn't played in the NFL since the Patriots cut him at the end of their 2013 preseason. He played for the Broncos from 2010-11 and led them to a playoff win in 2011. He then had a disastrous career-killing season with the Jets in 2012 — eight pass attempts and 32 rushes.

In late 2013, Tebow joined ESPN as a college football analyst but still wants to play football again. 

Via the Globe's Ben Volin:

The NFL is holding a veteran combine in Phoenix on March 22 for players now out of the league, and one name I've heard a few times as a possible participant is Tim Tebow, who we last saw throwing a football in August 2013 for the Patriots. Turns out Tebow has been working diligently with Tom House (also Tom Brady's personal coach) in Los Angeles over the last two years, sharpening his skills and hoping for one last shot. House told us on Friday that he isn't sure if Tebow will be attending the combine, but "he went from being a little inaccurate and didn't throw a whole lot of spirals, to throwing very accurate and real good at spinning the ball."

It's unlikely that any team will take a chance on Tebow, considering nobody has over the past two seasons, let alone during this current offseason of underwhelming free agent quarterbacks. But Tebow really has nothing to lose by participating in the veterans' combine. 

And if things don't work out with his Hail Mary attempt at an NFL job, he can always go back to his television broadcasting gig.