Tebow not happy his name is being dragged into anthem protest arguments
Tim Tebow hasn’t taken a regular-season snap in the NFL in almost six years, but he is still being linked to one of the league’s most controversial issues.
His act of kneeling in prayer — “Tebowing” — has been misrepresented in some circles as being the same as players kneeling in protest during the national anthem.
The former quarterback and now Mets minor leaguer spoke out against that connection before a game on Friday.
“I think that’s sometimes one of the things that’s a little bit sad is sometimes people will just try to create something that had zero truth,” Tebow said, according to USA Today. “I never did anything during a national anthem but stand and support my country. And then stories can get written and they can get put out of proportion so that you believe one thing when you’re asking me a question that was nothing that was part of the truth.’’
“Tebowing” became a national phenomenon while the former Heisman winner was with the Denver Broncos, and he even trademarked the term.
But with the anthem controversy lingering despite the NFL’s efforts, Tebow wanted to remind everyone of why he took a knee.
“A lot of people even think it was a touchdown celebration,” he said. “I never did it to celebrate a touchdown. I did it from my sophomore year in high school all the way through the NFL, that before and after games I would get on a knee to thank my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, and also put things into perspective.”
While Tebow distanced his act of kneeling in prayer from those who kneel in protest during the anthem, he said he respects both sides of the argument.
“I think when people believe in something and they stand for that I don’t knock them for that,’’ he said. “Even if I agree with some or disagree with some, I appreciate it when people have convictions and they stand for that.
“I think it’s important how we do that as well. So I think there’s a lot of players that I’m friends with that have been on both sides, and I understand it and I think what’s more important is to know their heart and where they’re coming from and where the conviction stands in their heart and what they really want to share.’’
Tebow’s opinion on those who kneel during the anthem is a bit more expansive than what he said, or didn’t say, when asked about it last year.
Here's Tim Tebow when asked what he would do during the national anthem if he still played in the NFL #Gators pic.twitter.com/JCUX5PqAWr
— Josh LaSelva (@JoshLaSelva) October 6, 2017
“Ha ha, that’s a good question,” he said when asked how he would handle the anthem if he were still in the NFL. “Alright, thank you guys. God bless y’all.”
Tebow’s comments come just days after Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz had to distance his kneeling in prayer from having anything to do with the anthem protests after Fox News linked the two together.
"Praying before games with my teammates, well before the anthem, is being used for your propaganda?!"
Zach Ertz calls out Fox News for incorrectly using pictures of Eagles players praying, not kneeling. https://t.co/xl1mUywd9k pic.twitter.com/ECr9DtmOMB
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 5, 2018
A Fox News producer later issued an apology for including footage of Ertz kneeling with a report on Eagles players protesting during the anthem.
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