Opinion

Broncos WR backtracks on Tim Tebow criticism

Eric McErlain Sports Blogger
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It seems like the quickest way to make headlines these days in the sports world is to say something provocative about New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow. The latest person to step up to the challenge is Tebow’s former Denver Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas. It was yesterday on a sports radio station in Atlanta that the wide receiver let fly with a number of comments about Tebow that cast more than a little doubt on his playing ability.

Among the more choice comments:

● Some of Tebow’s teammates were bothered about all the attention the quarterback was getting on ESPN.

● That Thomas wasn’t terribly broken up about the trade that sent Tebow to New York.

● That during film sessions, many of Tebow’s Denver teammates would criticize him for failing to make throws to open receivers.

To be honest, most of these observations could be seen as fair given the way Tebow has played at times. But fast-forward just 24 hours, and Thomas was suddenly falling all over himself to “clarify” his comments, making sure to tell the world that he “loved and respected” his former teammate. What was behind the about-face?

“When I had my interview, I wasn’t trying to go in the interview and just put Tebow down as a quarterback,” Thomas told KKFN in Denver. “I was just answering the questions, you know? But ever since the interview, it’s just been — I’ve been getting badmouthed left and right. Like, ‘You’re not a good receiver anyway,’ and all this and that.”

Looks like a cautionary tale for anyone who dares badmouth Tebow.

Eric McErlain blogs at Off Wing Opinion, a Forbes “Best of the Web” winner. In 2006 he wrote a “bloggers bill of rights” to help integrate bloggers into the Washington Capitals’ press box. Eric has also written for Deadspin, NBC Sports and the Sporting News, and covers sports television for The TV News. Follow Eric on Twitter.