Gene Simmons, the bassist and lead singer of the rock band Kiss, is coming to football player Tim Tebow’s defense, condemning those who have made fun of the athlete for his Christian faith.
“He was widely criticized and made fun of simply because he is a man of faith who believed in his Christian values,” Simmons said of Tebow. “Shame on the NFL and the rest of the world for stooping so low.”
In both his college and professional football career, Tebow has been mocked for his faith.
“Daily Show” comedian John Oliver infamously declared: “I dislike [Zimbabwe dictator] Robert Mugabe. I hate Tim Tebow. If I was in a room with Tim Tebow and [Osama] bin Laden, and I had a gun with one bullet, I’d shoot bin Laden. I’m not a monster. But if I had two bullets, I’d shoot Tim Tebow first.”
The cast of “SNL” dedicated a skit to making fun of Tebow for kneeling in prayer before games, a personal decision mocked by a handful of the former quarterback’s fellow football players.
Leftist talk radio host Bill Press made fun of Tebow for often crediting “my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” for his success in football, saying, “You know what I want to say? STFU,” an acronym for “shut the [expletive] up.”
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And back in 2011, football analyst Randy Cross told USA Today he believes many in the media and in sports have been hostile toward Tebow because they don’t like his Christian beliefs.
“People, especially in the media, root against him because of what he stands for,” Cross said at the time. “My personal belief is there are people in the media, people in the stands, who are predisposed to see a guy like this fail … just because he’s so public about the way he feels.”
Simmons’ defense of Tebow comes after news broke that the athlete is reportedly expected to sign a one-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tebow would play tight end rather than quarterback.
Jacksonville head coach Urban Meyer, who coached Tebow when he was on the Florida Gators from 2006 to 2009, addressed rumors about the supposed contract on Tuesday evening, telling sports broadcaster Cris Collinsworth he hasn’t yet made a decision on the matter.
“I have not decided if we’re going to do that or not yet,” he said. “Getting close. I got to make a decision here pretty soon.”
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