Spirituality A Factor In Tim Tebow Signing With The Patriots

[BCSpace]

Ha! I knew I could work Tim Tebow into a Mormon Discussion at some point:

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The word in New England on Tuesday was “Tebow.”

The next day it was all about “spirituality.”

Coincidence? Not at all.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft said Wednesday that Tim Tebow’s faith-based makeup was a factor in deciding to bring the quarterback into the fold.

“He’s a winner, and the fact that spirituality is so important to him is very appealing to me,” Kraft said, according to CBS Boston.

The report included two more quotes with the word “spirituality.” Kraft was speaking from a charity event in honor of his late wife, Myra:

– “For me personally, having Tim Tebow on this team, he’s someone who believes in spirituality, he’s very competitive, works hard and has a great attitude.”

– “You can’t have enough good people around you, and (Tebow) has the added dimension of spirituality being so important to him, and that personally appeals to me a lot.”

Tebow was cut by the Jets in April after one disappointing season in New York. Many wondered whether he was through in the NFL — until the Patriots swooped in and signed him to a non-guaranteed two-year deal.

New England coach Bill Belichick has been mum on Tebow’s role, though with future Hall of Famer Tom Brady under center you can be sure there will be no QB controversy this time around.

“Watching Tebow throw yesterday, to me, he looked pretty good,” said Kraft. “It’s fun having him here. It’s nice to have three quarterbacks who can throw it really well.”

Kraft also channeled his inner Woody Johnson, the Jets owner who made headlines last year for saying “you can never have enough Tim Tebow.” Except Johnson was presumably talking about the football player. Kraft was speaking of the man.

“You can’t get enough people like him,” Kraft said, according to USA Today. “Life is about collecting good people around you. You can’t have enough good people.”

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/06/13/tim-tebows-spirituality-no-small-factor-for-patriots-owner-robert-kraft/

I was thinking there might be at least two lessons here:

1) One can still be a highly visible person of faith and succeed against those who are opposed to such.

2) There are still people out there who, while their faith may not be the same or as good as we would want, they are still at least attracted and sympathetic to matters of faith.

I think Mormons are, or should be, keenly aware of how much people watch them, expect from them, and sometimes work against them because of their faith. While Tebow is not LDS, his experience speaks to that.

One of the comments on the article:

"Amazing! Tebow is recognized for who he is, the ultimate compliment."

[BCSpace]

On a side note, I'm surprised this is the only thread so far tagged with the terms Spirituality, Example, Endure, and Perseverance. But I suppose that is a factor of this board being more about mechanics than actual application.

[ERayR]

Ha! I knew I could work Tim Tebow into a Mormon Discussion at some point:

I was thinking there might be at least two lessons here:

1) One can still be a highly visible person of faith and succeed against those who are opposed to such.

2) There are still people out there who, while their faith may not be the same or as good as we would want, they are still at least attracted and sympathetic to matters of faith.

I think Mormons are, or should be, keenly aware of how much people watch them, expect from them, and sometimes work against them because of their faith. While Tebow is not LDS, his experience speaks to that.

One of the comments on the article:

"Amazing! Tebow is recognized for who he is, the ultimate compliment."

I may have to root for the Patriots this year. Not that I think Tebow is that great a player but he was getting the shaft and he does have some talent if given the chance to develop.

[Kenngo1969]

I'm not sure that's gonna happen as long as Brady's there.

[Kenngo1969]

On a side note, I'm surprised this is the only thread so far tagged with the terms Spirituality, Example, Endure, and Perseverance. But I suppose that is a factor of this board being more about mechanics than actual application.

Most people don't bother to tag their posts. Just sayin' ...

[BCSpace]

Kraft elaborated on how Tebow's spirituality appeals to him. It wasn't the reason the team signed Tebow, but it is something Kraft also mentioned to reporters on Wednesday.

"I don't get why people wouldn't relate to this guy big-time," Kraft said Friday. "For us, it was a great opportunity that he was on the street, not hired, and to have him come to our franchise. We like to collect people of good character. He's the real deal, and we have a lot of other players [like that]."

Kraft also said Tebow sets a good example in an increasingly "isolating" modern world.

"In this age of technology, where people are isolating themselves and going to their little instruments and spending hours of not interfacing with people, people who respect tradition, religion, spirituality, I think we need more of that in America today," Kraft said.

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/9388323/new-england-patriots-owner-robert-kraft-hopes-real-deal-tim-tebow-makes-team