Professional football-turned-baseball player Tim Tebow doesn’t want people linking him to NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.
Tebow — a devout Christian who often knelt in prayer before and after games — told reporters Friday he thinks it’s “a little bit sad when the media tries “to create something that had zero truth.”
“I never did anything during a national anthem but stand and support my country,” he continued. “And then, stories can get written, and they can get put out of proportion so that you believe one thing when you’re asking me a question that was nothing that was part of the truth.”
“A lot of people even think it was a touchdown celebration. I never did it to celebrate a touchdown. I did it from my sophomore year in high school all the way through the NFL, that before and after games I would get on a knee to thank my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, and also put things into perspective.”
Though he distanced his own kneeling, known in Internet circles as “Tebowing,” from the national anthem protests, Tebow said he understands and respects players taking a stand for issues they care about.
“I appreciate it when people have convictions and they stand for that,” he stated. “I think it’s important how we do that as well.”
“So, I think there’s a lot of players that I’m friends with that have been on both sides, and I understand it, and I think what’s more important is to know their heart and where they’re coming from and where the conviction stands in their heart and what they really want to share.’’
[Also read: No, the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t kneel during the national anthem]
