The New England Patriots are determined to not give in to the media circus that is surrounding the recent signing of quarterback Tim Tebow. Since the transaction was announced on Monday, news outlets have been all over the team with questions about the big move. Head coach Bill Belichick took the first step towards eliminating media attention and now the team is making sure Tebow does his part by not taking questions after practice.
Tebow stepped on the field for his first practice in a Patriots' uniform and reporters were there to document every pass and every move. Begging for a minute of the quarterback's time, the Patriots declined any interviews when the practice was over. Tebow released a brief and simple statement and has not been heard from since.
"First and foremost, I just want to thank the Patriots for giving me an opportunity. I'm very thankful. It's such an honor to be a Patriot and play for Coach Belichick and Coach McDaniels, and learn under Tom and be a part of this great franchise and very successful franchise. I found out first-hand; lost to them several times. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to working hard every single day and getting a lot better and learning under some great people. That's all I got. Thank you all so much and God bless. I'm sure we'll be talking more soon," Tebow said.
Belichick took a similar approach. He made a brief statement about Tebow, saying he was a very talented quarterback and a very hard worker and then left it at that. When reporters pushed for more answers, the head coach simply said they have talked enough about it.
The controversial quarterback's time with the Patriots is already off to a much different start than his year stint with the New York Jets. After signing Tebow, the Jets threw into the fire with a full media press conference and vagueness on what his team role will be. Meanwhile, the Patriots have been careful to refer to Tebow as the third-string quarterback, eliminating any speculation that he would somehow be starting over Tom Brady.
The Patriots have a history of hiding players from the media. When the team brought Randy Moss on, they did let the wide receiver do any interviews for a period of time. They want to eliminate the spectacle of the signing. For now, they want Tebow doing his job and nothing else.
