Tim Tebow Subjected to Faith-Based Taunts for Second Week Running
Tim Tebow took some taunting from rival fans for the second week in a row, marking a trend for Denver Broncos quarterback.
Oakland Raiders’ fans held signs that read “Welcome to Hell,” directed at Tebow during the pre-game warm-ups before Sunday’s NFL match-up in Oakland.
Sundays’ game marks the second week that the evangelical quarterback was targeted by fans for his Christian beliefs.
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Last week, Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch mocked Tebow’s prayer pose, which became a Twitter craze known as Tebowing, after sacking the quarterback in the second quarter.
Other Lions’ players followed suit throughout the game.
But sports fans and players aren’t taking the mocking and taunting seriously.
"Football is a form of entertainment," Tulloch tweeted. "Have a sense of humor. I wasn't mocking GOD!"
Tebow appeared not to be fazed by the Lions’ gestures.
"He was just celebrating, having fun with his teammates and I don't take offense to that," Tebow told AP. "I was bothered that I gave up a sack and that I didn't break the tackle. That bothered me."
Tebowing by other NFL players has drawn criticism from some observers.
"I think the linebacker for the Lions was attempting to not mock God, but to mock Tebow and have fun with it," Gordon Thiessen, the director for training and resources for the Nebraska Fellowship of Christian Athletes, told ESPN. "But it was still in bad taste and inappropriate, at best."
It is unclear how Tebow or others in the Christian community will react to latest reference to his faith by Oakland Raiders fans.
