No one doubts Tim Tebow’s character.
That’s why everyone was asking him one question.
And Tim Tebow was nearly brought to tears by this massive scandal.
There is no athlete more associated with Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer than Tim Tebow.
Tebow starred for Meyer at the University of Florida from 2006 to 2009 where Tebow won two national championships and the 2007 Heisman Trophy.
In an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, host Stephen A. Smith asked Tebow about the controversy surrounding the video of a blonde woman grinding on Meyer’s lap at one of Meyer’s sports bars in Columbus, Ohio.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan ripped Meyer’s conduct as inexcusable and there is speculation that the Jaguars could fire Meyer after the season if the players rebel.
Tebow got emotional answering the question and began by expressing his sympathy for Meyer’s wife and daughters, all of whom Tebow said he was close with.
“This is a very disappointing, frustrating, and honestly heartbreaking situation,” Tebow stated. “When I first saw what happened, my heart was hurting for Ms. Shelley, coach’s wife, someone that I love very much and his daughters who I’m very close with.”
Tebow told Smith that he told Meyer to apologize – which Meyer did, first to individual position groups and then to the team as a whole – and to grow from the mistake.
“My advice to him was to apologize,” Tebow added. “To admit it, to learn from it, and to never, never repeat it.”
Tebow admitted that Meyer screwed up and Meyer would have to work to regain some players’ trust.
“He is hurting and I do think for some of the guys, he will have to earn back their trust and respect,” Tebow explained. “This is not something that anybody in his family takes lightly. This is a very serious situation, this is a very disappointing situation.”
The big problem with Meyer’s conduct was that he did not fly back with the team following a 24-21 loss in Cincinnati and immediately get back to work.
Even though the Jaguars did not have a game for ten days, NFL coaches are expected to live their jobs.
Meyer can’t look players in the eye now and stress commitment to the team when Meyer stayed home to party as opposed to putting his nose to the grindstone to help right the Jaguars’ 0-4 start.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
