Stephen A. Smith admits being destined for hell for tangling with Tim Tebow - "Deserve to be crucified for insulting him"
Tim Tebow is known for being one of the more likable players to ever play football due to his various charity work. The former University of Florida star works for ESPN covering college football but is no stranger to debating.
Tebow has been across the desk from Stephen A. Smith on "First Take" for a debate or two.
However, Smith admitted that's hard to debate Tebow. On his podcast "Know Mercy," he explained why debating him is a bit different to other people he has tangled with on the show:
“JJ Redick is not the only person that I’ve tangled with on First Take. I’ve tangled with Ryan Clark, I’ve tangled with Marcus Spears, I’ve tangled with Dan Orlovsky. About the only person I didn’t tangle with was Tim Tebow, because he’s my friend and he’s a very nice guy.
"And dammit, when I get on him too much, I almost feel like I’m destined for hell, cause he’s such a wonderful, wonderful human being and I almost feel like I deserve to be crucified for insulting him.”
Tebow is one of the most accomplished players in college football history and will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year.
The quarterback had a slow start with the Gators in his freshman year. However, he turned it on in his sophomore year as he threw for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing for 23 touchdowns.
His 55 total touchdowns were the most in the SEC in 2007 as he finished tied for third in college football in rushing touchdowns.
Welcome to the College Football Hall Fame Tim Tebow!
• 2x National Champion
• 2007 Heisman Trophy Winner
• 2x First-team All-American
(2007, 2008)
• Second-team All-American (2009)
• 3x First-team All-SEC
(2007-2009)
• 2x SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2008, 2009) https://t.co/bcgI5d6ftt
He would go on to win the Heisman Trophy that season. In all, Tebow had 9,285 passing yards, 2,947 rushing yards, and 145 total touchdowns (88 passing and 57 rushing).
Tebow ranks fourth all-time in Gators history in passing yards and tied for second in touchdowns and its leader in rushing touchdowns.
Tim Tebow's NFL career
He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, starting 14 games for them over two seasons. Tim Tebow led the Broncos to a playoff victory in the 2011 season over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played for the New York Jets in 2012, which was his final season in the NFL.
11 years ago today, the late Demaryius Thomas caught a pass over the middle from Tim Tebow and raced 80 yards for a touchdown in overtime to help the underdog #Broncos beat the #Steelers in the playoffs.
https://t.co/6VSXBAjxSc
Tim Tebow attempted a comeback with the Jacksonville Jaguars under his college head Urban Meyer in 2021. However, he was cut in the preseason by the team, ending what many had hoped to be a fantastic story.