Bill Belichick Apparently Cost Tim Tebow A Lucrative Endorsement Right Before Cutting Him

Before he turned into a full-on salesperson with a struggling baseball career, Tim Tebow was briefly a New England Patriot. He was on the team for most of the summer of 2013, but he got cut before the season started. Tebow, fresh off a middling spell in the Arizona Fall League, is now promoting his second book, Intercepted: Accepting A New Career Path.

Tebow did an interview on Fox & Friends today, which he mostly spent recasting his time as a failed NFL quarterback as a story of redemption. He went over his brief time with the Patriots on the show, saying that he imagined himself as the Aaron Rodgers to Tom Brady’s Brett Favre, and that he and Bill Belichick would go win a handful of Super Bowls. That did not happen.

Tebow also said he received a lucrative endorsement offer during the summer of 2013, which Belichick convinced him to turn down. As he told it, Belichick made it clear to Tebow that he wanted him to act like “one of the guys.”

So when the offer for the one-day commercial 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 then shook his head. “Timmy, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t.”

Shortly after, Tebow got cut. Tebow makes a bunch in endorsements anyway, got into baseball as a publicity stunt, and is doing all he can to monetize his brand, but costing a man an honest $1 million over some weird image posturing is some classic Belichickian nonsense.