Schefter: Tim Tebow contract no ‘publicity stunt’ by New York Mets
Sep 8, 2016, 1:00 PM
Tim Tebow must like orange and blue.
The former University of Florida and Denver Broncos quarterback now will get his chance to prove himself as a professional baseball player with the New York Mets, signing with the organization Thursday.
As first reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Tebow will report to the Mets’ fall instructional league on Sept. 19 in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Mets are signing Tim Tebow to a minor-league contract, an MLB source tells ESPN. Instructional League or Arizona Fall League next for Tebow.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 8, 2016
And Schefter, joining Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan’s “Schlereth and Evans” Thursday morning, said it’s a baseball move, and not a publicity stunt, by New York.
“This is not a publicity stunt with the New York Mets. They think there’s something there that’s worth trying to see if they can get it out of him,” Schefter said. They’re giving him the chance, they’ve signed him to the contract, and Tim Tebow has gone from playing for the New York Jets to the New York Mets.”
“I don’t think anybody’s ever done that before, and Tim Tebow will now become the first to try to do that.”
The deal comes just more than a week after Tebow worked out for a number of scouts in Los Angeles with the hopes of catching on with a team.
Last week, ESPN’s Pedro Gomez told “C.J. and Stokley” that among the teams potentially interested in Tebow at the time he had heard most about the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies.
Gomez also said that the consensus among the scouts he spoke with was that somebody — which turned out to be the Mets — would sign Tebow, not necessarily for baseball-only reasons.
“The scouts I spoke to shook their heads saying not even college outfielders look like this,” Gomez said.
With links to Colorado via his time with the Broncos and Atlanta from his time playing college football in the Southeastern Conference, Tebow landing in either of those spots would have made logical marketing sense.
Tebow also has ties to New York, having played for the Jets in 2012. He also played briefly for the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots.
Follow 104.3 The Fan digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
