The NFL is filled with a lot of polarizing figures in almost every position played in the gridiron. However, no other football star can tear apart a stadium as Tim Tebow. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, who dominated college football during his stint in Florida, has repeatedly failed to return to the NFL even after landing coveted spots in the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and the New England Patriots. While analysts blame his absence in the gridiron to injuries and lack of exposure in the pro league, a number of his fans feel that Tim Tebow fails to return because some members of the football community won't quit spreading hateful sentiments about him.
Tim Tebow is known to be an openly Christian star. While some fans judge his potential return to the NFL based on his performance in the gridiron, most members of the public oppose this move because of his faith. In fact, the aspiring NFL quarterback has been criticized harshly for his openness about his faith and even his vow to remain chaste until he gets married.
In the recent updates linked to Tim Tebow, his critics once again found another way to bash him following his attempts to comfort a woman in a plane whose husband suffered a heart attack during the flight. The news surfaced when one of the passengers of the said flight, Richard V. Gotti, posted the incident on his Facebook account.
According to Gotti, their flight with Delta Airlines turned into a scary experience when one of the passengers became unconscious due to heart problems. While the flight attendants and crew rushed to the aid of the man, the other passengers also contributed their share to help. However, one passenger stood out - Tim Tebow.
"Then all of a sudden, I observed a guy walking down the aisle," recalled Gotti. He further shared, "That guy was Tim Tebow. He met with the family as they cried on his shoulder! I watched Tim pray with the entire section of the plane for this man. He made a stand for God in a difficult situation."
While the post garnered a lot of praises from the readers, the story got negative attention from some fans. David Whitley of the Orlando Sentinel shared the criticisms of some members of the public of the actions done by Tim Tebow. Pointing out the intense hatred of some to people like the Christian football star, Whitley noted that Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots might not have received the same criticism had he prayed with the grieving wife of the passenger.
"There have been thousands more like that posted on websites that carried that story," pointed out Whitley of the Delta Airlines incident with Tim Tebow. He noted, "They should provide plenty of material for psychiatrists studying Tebow Derangement Syndrome (TDS)."
Whitley added, "The malady triggers foaming at the mouth among two groups. One believes Tebow would be a great pro quarterback if only the anti-Christian NFL hadn't blackballed him."
Among the comments cited by Whitley are fans calling out Tim Tebow for being an attention-grabbing celebrity. In fact, others even likened him to the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" stars and taunted him to simply change his name to Kim Kardashian, the wife of controversial rapper Kanye West.
Meanwhile, Dom Giordano of Philly.com noted how sports media criticizes Tim Tebow for his religion. Presumably referring to athletes like Johnny Manziel and Greg Hardy, he pointed out that the NFL community appears to be more appreciative of football stars with criminal records than an openly Christian quarterback.
"These idiots posting this garbage are one thing, but I think many people in sports media harbor negative feelings toward Tebow," said Giordano. He added, "They seem to be much more comfortable covering borderline criminal athletes and making excuses for them than they do covering Tebow."
Apart from Tim Tebow, the NFL community also has the likes of Russell Wilson and Peyton Manning who are open about their Christian faith. While the former Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts star appears to have escaped intense scrutiny, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback is a close second to Tim Tebow in the list of players criticized for his religion.
What do you think? Is the NFL career of Tim Tebow blocked by his haters? Is the football community truly anti-Tim Tebow?
