Tim Tebow's return to the NFL was criticized after some observers noticed that Colin Kaepernick has yet to continue his professional football career.
The footballers were known for kneeling but with two different reasons.
Tebow is famous for "tebowing," taking a knee in prayer which became a cultural phenomenon in 2011. While Kaepernick started kneeling in games during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and social injustice, in line with the Black Lives Matter agenda.
Tebow is set to sign a one-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, reuniting him with Urban Meyers, his college head coach at University of Florida. But the news disappointed some NFL fans when they noted of Kaepernick's predicament. Actor Steven Pasquale called it as "white privilege NFL style."
Critics argued over the players' "value" to the league.
"They were wrong then and you could say continue to be wrong in not giving him an opportunity to be a part of the NFL when he is clearly one of the 64 best quarterbacks in the world. I think Colin Kaepernick is more of a value [than Tebow] to an NFL team," former defensive end Chris Canty stated.
However, while a number of people denounced Tebow on social media, a former NFL player moved to defend him.
Brandon Spikes encouraged Tebow on Twitter.
"I love it. Congratulations @TimTebow. Do your best and continue to be a great role model," Spikes tweeted.
He also told the angry fans to stop dragging the race card into the issue.
But what critics failed to consider are Kaepernick's choices that left him still unsigned.
Kaepernick turned down an offer from San Francisco 49ers in 2017 and decided to be a free agent instead. In 2018, he also declined to sign a contract with the Denver Broncos, as revealed by John Elway.
Also in 2019, he refused the NFL's offer for a workout and setup his own which was only attended by a few team representatives.
Some people in the league believed that Kaepernick may have had concerns other than football since he appeared uninterested in returning to the NFL.
Breitbart noted that Kaepernick's actions seemed to have shown that he only wanted to have a platform to talk about his social issues and not play pro in the league. Tebow, on the other hand, only wanted to play football.
Meyers explained that he has yet to sign Tebow but that some coaches in his team have seen the athlete worked out and they were impressed.
"There's a thought going around. He was in the best shape of his life, asked to see if he could work out with a couple of our coaches. I wasn't even there. And they came back to me and said, 'Wow, this guy's in incredible shape,'" he said.
Meyers revealed that his team watched Tebow on two more work outs.
"They came in and they said, 'Wow. This guy's ball skills. He's a great athlete. He looks like he's 18 years old not whatever he is, 33," he further stated.
Being Tebow's former Florida Gators head coach, Meyers told his team that the footballer is very competitive. He then suggested to give him a chance but clarified that he has yet to make a decision.
