Tim Tebow’s book Shaken has been on shelves for a while now, but everyone is taking notice of a small footnote in a story from the quarterback’s time with the New England Patriots. At the time, Tebow was looking to do anything the team wanted of him — including turning down a million dollars at the behest of head coach Bill Belichick.
Bill Belichick convinced Tim Tebow to turn down $1 million, then cut him
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
You can read the full except from the book here, but this is general tale of what happened.
I remembered when I had signed with the team in June. Then I’d had an offer on the table to make a one-day appearance endorsing a product for a million-dollar paycheck. [...]
So when the offer for the one-day commercial came 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 I want to fit in. I want to be one of the guys. Should I do it?
He thought for a moment and shook his head. “Timmy, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t.”
Highly respecting the man, I turned down the deal.
Tebow was cut later that year. Now, Belichick probably didn’t know he was going to release him at the time Tebow turned down a $1 million commercial offer, but it’s eye-popping nonetheless.
On Monday, Tebow appeared on Fox News to discuss his time with the Patriots.
