Tebow disappointed by claims he’s quit on the Jets

Published On December 27, 2012 | By Jill Saftel

Oh, the Jets. As fans of the team sigh with disgust, it just keeps getting better for the rest of us. As the quarterback saga continues, Tim Tebow airs his sadness surrounding questions of his character as a teammate.

Forget all the times his game has been criticized. What really grinds Tebow’s gears? Calling him a quitter.

“When people are talking about how you play football or how much, that’s one thing, it really doesn’t bother me,” he said.

“I think the only thing that has been disappointing for me these last few days, and frustrating, is the people saying, ‘Oh, you quit on the team’ or ‘You’re not a good teammate.’ I think that’s disappointing.”

The comments stemmed from Tebow’s alleged reaction to being passed over for the starting position in favor of Greg McElroy. Sunday, an ESPN report claimed Tebow told the coaching staff that he wouldn’t be participating in the wildcat offense.

And while Tebow admitted Wednesday he has been unhappy with his role on the team, he says he never told the coaching staff he wouldn’t do something, and said his coaches and teammates know he would never say no to anything asked of him.

“For people to not know the situation and to bash your character and say you’re a phony, you’re a fake and you’re a hypocrite, I think that’s what’s disappointing and that’s what’s frustrating,” he said.

“It’s a football game. That’s one thing, if you’re good or bad at football, but your character and integrity, that’s who you are as a man.”

Considering Tebow hasn’t gotten a chance to show whether he’s good or bad at football lately, it’s a good thing he puts so much stock in character.

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About The Author

Jill studies journalism at Northeastern University, covers Hockey East for College Hockey News and is the sports editor for The Huntington News. You can follow her on Twitter at @jillsaftel, just don't ask her to choose between hockey and baseball, it's impossible.