A football stadium has often been likened to a cathedral or a sanctuary but for Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, it is far from a house of worship. In fact, it takes him away from where his heart would want to be on a Sunday morning.
Tebow is one of the most vocal and high-profile athletes in the NFL in terms of his faith, always ending his interviews with “God bless.” In college, Bible verses were emblazoned on his eye black, his missionary trips to the Philippines were well documented and he frequently makes high profile speaking engagements at churches across the nation. The irony is that the majority of Tebow’s games are on Sundays, the day where many like-minded believers flock to churches and not stadiums, pews and not tailgates.
“When you play this early, it’s not like you get a chance to go to service,” Tebow said when asked by Metro about not being able to attend church on game day. “We have a really great chaplain who does a great service for us on Saturday night. That’s pretty cool.”
But when pressed, it sounds like Sunday for Tebow isn’t different than any other day. There will be time spent in prayer, he says, although it may not be the “Tebowing” posture that became a national phenomenon last season.
“I don’t spend time ‘Tebowing,’” he said with a laugh. “Yes I will pray, just like I will every other morning and try to have the same routine every other morning and not change it because it is game day or Sunday not necessarily.”
He was asked at the end of his media session on Friday if he’s ever called it “Tebowing,” the prayerful pose he often strikes on the sideline on bended knee.
“I call it praying,” Tebow said.
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
