Bill Belichick: I Don’t Hate Tim Tebow

Bill Belichick said he doesn’t “hate” Tim Tebow as a player, putting an end to rumors that he despised the game of the free-agent quarterback.

Last month, Yahoo! Sports quoted a source within the New England Patriots organization that said Belichick scoffed at the notion of signing Tebow and that he disliked him as a player.

Belichick, who normally plays his hand close to the vest, didn’t reveal much more about his feeling on Tim Tebow but said he certainly doesn’t hate him.

“I wouldn’t get into the probability of us pursuing any free agent. Every single player has strengths and weaknesses but regardless of that, for anyone to have represented that is the way I feel about Tim Tebow is completely untrue, baseless and irresponsible,” Belichick told ESPNBoston.com. “It is unfortunate that something so inaccurate was reported.”

The 25-year-old Tebow is a free agent after being released from the New York Jets in April. He had an uneven season in New York, getting few opportunities to play on offense and failing to capitalize on the chances he had.

Belichick had praised Tebow after a pre-draft visit in 2010, and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels drafted Tebow while with the Denver Broncos.

But Belichick’s remarks reveal little about Tebow’s possible future in the NFL. As ESPN AFC East blogger James Walker pointed out, Bill Belichick said he doesn’t hate Tim Tebow but never said if he liked him as a player.

Some NFL insiders have speculated that Tebow’s NFL career is over, that NFL teams are too wary to invite the media circus that follows the former Florida star. Others have said he may have a place in the NFL, but as an H-back rather than quarterback.

Tim Tebow could still find work outside the NFL. He received an offer to play for the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League, and recently radio host Glenn Beck said he would hire Tim as as a talk show host.