John Elway is taking aim at former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow in his new book. After excerpts from the book surfaced online, social media users swiftly took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the situation.
Not only did Elway not find Tim Tebow’s talent at quarterback of the highest quality, but also the Broncos GM and other members of the organization reportedly took issue with his personality. According to a new book about the former NFL star, Elway: A Relentless Life by Jason Cole, one Denver staffer describes Tebow as “the most self-centered humble guy I’ve ever met.”
During the 2011 season, Tebow reportedly angered the Broncos staff by making a “cottage industry” of speaking engagements. The outspokenly Christian quarterback reportedly charged $50,000 to speak at various churches, the book states. Many on Twitter blasted Tim Tebow for the new revelations from Cole’s book.
In the book, Cole also writes that the many on the Broncos staff considered Tebow’s play as “simply awful.” Furthermore, Cole writes that the Heisman Trophy winner “struggled to understand concepts in reading defense and executing the offense.”
“As one teammate put it bluntly that season,” Cole writes, “‘He has no idea what’s going on out there. If the first read doesn’t work, he’s just making it up.’”
Despite Tebow’s performance, many on Twitter stood up for him. One user claimed that Elway was “jealous” of Tebow.
John Elway Faced Difficult Decisions When Tebow’s Numbers Failed to Impress but Broncos Still Won
John Elway also found himself in a difficult position when Tebow underperformed in terms of stats, but the team continued to win games. In the 2011 season, Tebow led the team with a 7-4 record as the team’s starter, eventually winning the wild-card round of the playoffs. However, his next and final game as an NFL starting quarterback resulted in a 45-10 loss to the Patriots.
“No matter how ugly Tebow played,” Cole wrote, “he and the Broncos found a way to win. That justified him continuing to start. Football purists who pointed out that the Broncos were overcoming Tebow’s foibles rather than succeeding because of his talents were deemed anti-Christian.”
Elway went on to sign future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning as a free agent in 2012. The Broncos President of Football Operations then traded Tebow to the Jets. Manning went on to win an MVP and a Super Bowl.
After 2012, Tebow never played in an NFL regular season game. The Jets later released Tebow and he went on to get released by both the Patriots and the Eagles in the preseason.
[H/T Daily Mail]
