Tim Tebow Turned Down A $1 Million Paycheck To Impress Bill Belichick
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tim Tebow is finally accepting that he does not have a future as an NFL quarterback, attempting a career in professional baseball and detailing his recent experiences in a new book called Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life's Storms. One of the last teams to give him an opportunity to make it in the NFL was the New England Patriots.
Unfortunately, one brief passage in the new book will lead people to believe that head coach Bill Belichick did more to hurt Tebow's livelihood than help it.
Tebow details a meeting he held with Belichick while he was a member of the Patriots during 2013 training camp. He had an offer on the table for $1 million to do a one-day appearance to shoot a commercial endorsing a product, but "wasn't quick to say yes." Here's how the conversation with Belichick went, according to Tebow's book:
When I came on the team, Coach and I had a long and deep talk. "I want to make you one of the guys," he told me. "This is not going to be a media circus. I'll control it if you do your part. You're part of a team, Timmy. We're in this together."
So when the offer for the one-day commercial turned up, I was sure to discuss the opportunity with him. "I want to know what you think, Coach," I said. I respect you and want to fit in. I want to be one of the guys. Should I do it?"
He thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Timmy, I would really appreciate it if you didn't."
Highly respecting the man, I turned down the deal. I didn't even think twice about it. I wanted the chance to impress Coach Belichick more than I wanted the money. I'll say that if I were on any other team, I would have probably said yes to the offer. But the thoughts he offered in our initial conversation mattered to me - even more than a million dollars.
Belichick eventually cut Tebow before the start of the season. So naturally, people who are waiting for the next chance to denigrate Belichick will blame him for "forcing" Tebow to turn down $1 million before cutting him loose. That, of course, is nonsense. It's not like Belichick promised Tebow a roster spot in exchange for turning the deal down. No one in Tebow's situation is guaranteed anything.
And those who think Tebow should have just taken the deal have to think about how that would have looked in the Patriots locker room. A backup quarterback (at best) making $1 million to hawk a random product for a day? Tebow himself knows how that would have looked both privately in the locker room and publicly among fans and media, which is not favorable. He knew he had to focus on football and really needed to impress Belichick to even have a chance at making the team, so he picked the chance to play for the Patriots over the chance to make easy money.
It's important to note that Tebow made his own decision, here. Belichick didn't "make" him do anything. He could have taken the $1 million, but it could have meant that he had flushed away his final chance to play in the NFL. However, he apparently believed he would eventually take over for Tom Brady and go "win a bunch of Super Bowls" with the Patriots, so perhaps he's just not that intelligent.
The Philadelphia Eagles gave Tebow a look during 2015 training camp, but the Patriots were arguably his last real chance to make a team. But, of course, the focus will be that the dastardly Belichick snatched an easy $1 million out of Tebow's pockets for no reason - not that he was the last head coach to even consider giving Tebow a roster spot in the first place.
Perhaps the most important thing to note is that this clearly was not Tebow's last opportunity to make money outside of football. He has this new book and continues to make media appearances and still has plenty of appeal and marketability as a person. And, by the way, he earned about $10 million over the course of his career in the NFL.
If anything, this exchange with Belichick shows just how badly he wanted to play in the NFL, not how mean Belichick is to players.
Tebow may have been put in a spot where he had no choice but to turn down an easy payday. He may have been unable to make the Patriots either way. But to turn this story around on Belichick is ridiculously unfair. Regardless of what he or the Patriots did, it's clear that nothing was more valuable to Tebow than playing NFL football, way more than any blank check could offer.
LISTEN: Zolak & Bertrand React To Tim Tebow
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
