Gators Legend Tim Tebow Addresses Controversial Videos of Urban Meyer
Florida Gators legendary quarterback Tim Tebow's voice was trembling on ESPN's First Take this morning while speaking about a fellow legendary Gator, that being former UF head coach Urban Meyer, who now holds the same position with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Videos of Meyer, a first-year NFL head coach, went viral this past week showing Meyer with a younger woman, who was not his wife Shelly, at a bar in Columbus, Ohio. The young woman danced on Meyer's lap in the first video that circulated, while the second recording displayed Meyer grabbing the woman's posterior.
Tebow was awarded over two minutes to speak his mind about the situation, as he has a strong relationship with Meyer that dates back to their days at UF, where the pair won two National Championships together.
"Oh, I think first of all this is a very disappointing, frustrating and honestly heartbreaking situation. You know, when I first saw and heard about what happened, my heart was hurting for Ms. Shelly, coach's wife, someone that I love very much. And his daughters who I am very close with. I've talked to both of them this week and I also had the chance of talking with coach. It's a very difficult week and my advice to him was to apologize, to admit it, to learn from it and to never, never repeat it. And, you know, coach shared with me that it was, you know, one of the hardest times of his life, and you know, he apologized but he didn't need to apologize to me. I know this has weighed so heavy on his heart and he is hurting. And I do think, you know, for some of the guys he will have to earn back their trust and respect. And I think he really wants to do that.
"This is not something that I think anybody in his family takes lightly. This is a very serious situation, this is a very disappointing situation, but I also know that coach isn't taking it lightly. He knows what a big deal this is, how disappointing it is to so many people, and I believe that he wants to make amends. Which, is very hard and it takes a while. You know, that's the thing about a reputation, it takes a lifetime to build and a moment to lose. And, you know he's someone that I love, I love Ms. Shelly, I love all three of his kids, very close with all of them, and I want to be able to give him the chance to earn back that respect and trust, with at the same time not condoning those actions. But, always being someone that gives people a chance to change, to grow and to be able to earn back that trust and that respect. And, you know, I love his entire family and praying for them in this hard time because it's so much bigger than football or whatever it be." - Tim Tebow on ESPN's First Take
Meyer called the incident "stupid" repeatedly throughout the week, admitting that it was him in the video.
The Jaguars, specifically team owner Shad Khan, have expressed their disappointment in Meyer for his actions but do not intend to dismiss the head coach of his duties. On Wednesday, Meyer also shared that he had no intentions of resigning from his post.
Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
