U.S. Football Star Remembers Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — SINCE I’m not a sports enthusiast, I didn’t recognize the name of football star Tim Tebow and was unaware of his strong ties to the Philippines, until I read an article by Seth Mydans in the International Herald Tribune.

Born in Mindanao, where his father served as a missionary, Tim was only three years old when the family returned to the United States, but he has kept up his ties to the Philippines and helps his father, Bob Tebow, fund an orphanage in Davao, called “Uncle Dick’s Home” after a loyal contributor. The orphanage currently provides a home for around 40 children, who attend a nearby elementary school and high school. On a visit to the orphanage three years ago, Tim Tebow showed the children how to handle a football, although football is not a popular sport in the Philippines, and left them a ball to play with. Recently, his father, who visits the orphanage several times, showed the children a video of Tim playing a game. The orphans, coached by the NFL star himself, are among the few Filipinos who know how to throw a football.

A college football player at the University of Florida, who won the Heisman trophy as the top player in college football in the United States, Tim Tebow shares his father’s missionary spirit and founded the Tim Tebow Foundation devoted to evangelical work.

In his autobiography, “Through My Eyes,” Tim Tebow wrote: “I truly believe that the God who loves me also looks at orphans as extremely special. Over and over, my parents showed me how the Bible talks about taking care of women and orphans.”

On his last visit to the Philippines, Tebow announced that he plans to build a 30-bed children’s hospital in Davao, to serve the children of Mindanao.

source: mb.com.ph

NFL: Tim Tebow sports apparel sales halted in Nike-Reebok feud

Nike Inc. has won a court order blocking rival Reebok International Ltd from selling New York Jets apparel bearing the name of the popular quarterback Tim Tebow, in a battle over licensing rights.

The order issued late on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel prevents Reebok from manufacturing, selling and shipping the alleged unauthorized apparel for the National Football League team and bearing Tebow's name.

It also requires Reebok to offer to buy back such apparel from retailers and recall the products from shipping channels. The Denver Broncos traded Tebow to the Jets on March 21.

Castel, however, rejected Nike's demand that Reebok destroy any unauthorized Tebow products. The judge set an April 4 hearing to discuss whether the ban should be extended. Nike filed the lawsuit on Tuesday.

Reebok is a unit of Germany's Adidas AG.

Daniel Sarro, a Reebok spokesman, said the company plans to refute Nike's contentions at the hearing, "which should enable the court to change its view."

Paul Sarkozi, a lawyer for Nike, declined to comment. Nike spokeswoman Kellie Leonard did not immediately return a telephone call seeking a comment.

According to the complaint, on April 1, Nike will begin an exclusive five-year contract with the NFL to sell uniforms and related apparel for all 32 teams.

Nike also said Reebok has no current agreement to sell Tebow-related Jets products and that a Reebok merchandising license with the NFL players union expired prior to this month.

It accused Reebok of trying to capitalize on "short-lived intense consumer appetite for such products," and selling products bearing Tebow's name without the player's consent.

Tebow's No. 15 Broncos uniform had been among the NFL's top-selling jerseys before his trade to the Jets.

Apparel sales for a popular player who changes teams customarily soar in the first few days after the change.

Nike's lawsuit does not concern Broncos products bearing Tebow's name and those made before March 1.

A January poll by Walt Disney Co's ESPN rated Tebow the No. 1 favorite active professional athlete in the United States.

The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, who played for the University of Florida, is also an evangelical Christian who prays on the football field in a pose known as "Tebowing."

He left the Broncos after they signed star quarterback Peyton Manning, who had played for the Indianapolis Colts.

The case is Nike Inc et al v Reebok International Ltd, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-02275. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Tebow traded to New York Jets

Quarterback Tim Tebow has been traded by the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets, the National Football League website NFL.com reported on Wednesday.

Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winner with the University of Florida, helped lead the Broncos to the playoffs last season but was traded one day after Denver signed free agent Peyton Manning.

The Jets acquired the unorthodox quarterback, who became the talking point of the NFL in helping the Broncos mount a six-game winning streak to get into the playoff picture, by sending a fourth-round draft pick and a sixth-round selection to Denver, who sent a seventh-round pick back the Jets along with Tebow.

The move by New York came after the AFC East team had signed young starting quarterback Mark Sanchez to a contract extention.

The Jets finished out of the playoffs last season with an 8-8 record, the same mark posted by Denver, but lost their last three games to fall out of contention.

Denver was looking to trade Tebow after they signed 11-time Pro Bowl quarterback Manning to a five-year $96 million deal. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

NFL: Tebow's time in Denver looks set to expire

Tim Tebow, who had a huge following last season as he led the Broncos to the NFL playoffs, is expected to be traded now that coveted free agent quarterback Peyton Manning has reportedly picked Denver as his desired team.

Barring a last-minute snag in contract negotiations, Manning appears poised to join Denver, a deal that raises the prospects of the Broncos trading Tebow, according to multiple U.S. media reports on Monday (Tuesday, PHL time).

A college-style quarterback whose public displays of religiosity polarized public opinion and whose passing technique led critics to write him off as a pro, Tebow became the talk of the NFL with his hard-running and charismatic leadership.

But whereas Manning is a prototypical pro-style quarterback, and master of recognizing opportunities to pick apart defenses with his passing, Denver thrived by adapting their offense to embrace the unorthodox Tebow's ability to run with the ball.

Helped by a defense that kept games close, Tebow was in position to launch a series of late-game comebacks despite completing a dismal 46.5 percent of his left-handed throws.

Tebow led Denver on a six-game winning streak, three of them in overtime, shortly after being named the starting quarterback last October. The phrase 'Tebow Time' was coined to capture the fact that five times last season his Broncos won games in which they trailed in the fourth quarter.

His post-touchdown, knelt-in-prayer pose - known as "Tebowing" - inspired fans around the world. Many have posted pictures of themselves "Tebowing" on sites such as Tebowing.com.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Tebow, who rose to fame at the University of Florida, where he won a pair of BCS national championships and the Heisman Trophy as most outstanding college football player.

Jaguars new owner Shahid Khan, whose team has had trouble filling its stadium, has said he would have been interested in Tebow had he been in charge of the team in 2010 when Denver drafted the quarterback 25th overall.

After the winning streak Tebow and the Broncos lost their last three games but still managed to qualify for the playoffs.

Tebow, who was 7-4 in regular season games he started last season, led Denver (8-8) to an overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the playoffs before the team was eliminated 45-10 by the New England Patriots. - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com