Any Gators fan would know that Tim Tebow has never shied away from expressing his faith. Ahead of launching his new book, ‘If the Tree Could Speak: The Story of the Cross That Saw It All,” the former Denver quarterback discussed the project in an interview with FOX Sports. The book is written from the perspective of a young tree and follows the story of Jesus Christ’s life, crucifixion, and resurrection. But in the interview, he ended up giving a pretty controversial statement.

“Christianity isn’t this religion that’s like your average,” he said. “It makes you a little bit better. It’s a relationship that takes you from dead to alive, from lost to found, from orphan to son or daughter.

There’s a weight and a gravity to it. Young people, especially, are looking for that purpose and meaning — and I think it can only be found in the person of Jesus.”

Tim Tebow has long been a vocal and committed advocate of his Christian faith. During his college days with the Gators, he used to have the scripture etched onto his eye blacks. Tebow’s choice for the 2009 BCS championship game against Oklahoma was John 3:16. It drew a reported 93 million Google hits that day.

“I was just putting on my eye black and I realized that if I put a Bible verse on it, somebody might actually get something out of it,” Tebow said. “It’s just gained more and more momentum and steam, more and more people have recognized it, and now it’s just got a life of its own.” But the comparative tone of some of these recent remarks could be interpreted in ways he may not have intended.

Moreover, associations, including appearances alongside individuals or organizations that have drawn criticism, place him in the middle of a broader conversation. In a league where locker rooms are a melting pot of different cultures and religions, such messages don’t really help with players of other faiths feel included.

In 2015, Arian Foster, a star running back for the Houston Texans, sent ripples through the NFL when he came out as a nonbeliever in ESPN The Magazine. Though it caught news headlines at the time, the overall community did not really see anything wrong with it. the NFL and overall college world has continued to involve players from every religion. But Jesus still stays supreme in many programs and their rituals.

Just this past November, 13 Purdue athletes publicly declared faith at Baptism Night. “A couple weeks ago, we were looking at the baptism of Jesus and there were some questions around what does baptism look like in your own life,” said Joshua McKenzie, who has served with Purdue’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) chapter since January 2025. “One athlete said they were interested in getting baptized, and honestly, that just kind of spurred in me that we should just give an invitation for any of our athletes to get baptized.”

But very few scenes can compare to the Tebow mania that had swept the nation when the QB was playing his best with Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators, and later with the Denver Broncos.

Tim Tebow’s celebrity status set an example in the religious community

Tebow, without a doubt, has a pretty big effect on fans who share a similar perspective on Christianity. Although sometimes others might feel that they took it up a notch too high. Like in 2011, Broncos fans used to wear jerseys that had his number on, but his name was swapped to display Jesus.

He also might be one of the few players who had a trend started in their name. The former quarterback used to kneel on the ground before games, and also before making big plays. The move was entirely personal, but the fact that it was done on such a public stage added to his religiously guided public image. Fans called it Tebowing. In fact, there was even a website that used to share photos of people participating in the trend.

Tim Tebow has never paid attention to what others say about his religious views and actions. But given the statements are public, a measure of careful reflection and awareness doesn’t hurt.