subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Thu, Aug 21 2008 

Published July 31, 2008 06:23 pm - One year after winning college football’s highest honor, University of Florida star Tim Tebow was pulled from consideration for Playboy’s preseason All-American team because the magazine conflicts with his Christian beliefs.

Heisman winner declines spot on Playboy’s lineup


Religion News Service

One year after winning college football’s highest honor, University of Florida star Tim Tebow was pulled from consideration for Playboy’s preseason All-American team because the magazine conflicts with his Christian beliefs, a school official confirmed.

Tebow, who last year became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, comes from a family of missionaries and is a devout Baptist. Assistant Sports Information Director Zack Higbee said he chose not to nominate his quarterback for the Playboy spread based on what he knew about Tebow’s spirituality.

“I’ve been working with Tim since his first day here and I know his priorities and his family,” Higbee said. “He has that trust in me to make the decision.“

As a teenager, the home-schooled Tebow made annual trips to the Philippines, where his father, a minister, runs an orphanage. This year, he went on separate missions to the Philippines, Croatia, and Thailand.

Higbee said Tebow supported the move when told of it this month. Playboy Sports Editor Gary Cole downplayed the university’s decision, however, and said that Tebow would not have made the team anyway.

Tebow, 20, is not the first high-profile college athlete to reject Playboy for religious reasons. Danny Wuerffel, another Heisman-winning Gator and a childhood idol of Tebow’s, turned down a spot on the team in 1996. Georgia Tech senior Andrew Gardner made the cut for this year’s team but declined the award.

“Every two or three years, we might get someone who says ‘I don’t want to be on there’ or ‘my wife doesn’t want me to go’ or ‘my girlfriend doesn’t want me to go,’ or ‘because it doesn’t fit with my personal religious viewpoints,’ ” said Cole, who has selected the team for the last 22 years. “And that’s fine with us. We understand.”



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.




monster
wheels
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Have a question for The Herald?
You are only one click away

Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

Thursday, August 21
Accounts Payable
Excellent accounting, computer and communication skills required in Nursing Facility Business Offi
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Autos

See all ads

Premium Homes

See all ads

Premium Extras

See all ads


   

 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index