Tim Tebow is pausing his relationship with Life Surge in the wake of “scam” allegations against the Christian-focused organization he has helped front for years, he told reporters Friday.
The allegations were aired out an episode of the Pablo Torre Finds Out
podcast published Thursday. Torre and co-investigator Kiera Butler of Mother Jones allege that Tebow has hosted dozens of events as part of a predatory business model that encourages attendees to eventually pay five-figure sums for financial education.
Tim Tebow attends the Denver Broncos game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 20. ( Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/File)
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida — Tim Tebow said Friday he is pausing his relationship
with Life Surge, a Christian organization that’s been accused of using predatory sales tactics to exploit its followers’ faith and financial insecurity. Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner who is currently a college football analyst with ESPN’s SEC Nation, said his team is conducting an internal investigation. He spoke on campus in advance of the Mississippi-Florida game at Florida Field on Saturday.
The allegations are extremely, extremely serious, and it’s something that we take very serious,
Tebow said. So, for us, we’re having our team do an investigation, but also pausing our relationship ’til we can learn more about the facts to be able to understand more.
Tebow, the two-time national champion and Heisman Trophy winner who led Florida to the 2008 title, said Friday that he is “pausing” his relationship with Life Surge, a Christian organization under investigation for allegedly using predatory sales tactics to exploit its followers’ faith and financial insecurity, pending the results of an internal review. Torre doesn’t accuse the former Heisman Trophy winner of having direct ties to the high-pressure sales technique; rather, he questions Tebow’s knowledge of the organization’s practices.
Tebow’s team shared the news with him Thursday while attending an anti-human trafficking conference and said he was caught off guard by the investigation.
I think the allegations are extremely serious and it’s something that we take very serious,
Tebow said. For us we are having our team do an investigation but also pausing our relationship until we can learn more about the facts to be able to understand more.
The statement comes in response to an investigation by podcast host Pablo Torre, in collaboration with Mother Jones reporter Kiera Butler, examining Tebow’s ties to Life Surge.
Pablo Torre Finds Out
GAINESVILLE — Tim Tebow said he will pause his relationship with Life Surge and his representatives will investigate allegations of wrongdoing involving the Christian organization the former Florida star has represented. Journalist Pablo Torre reported Thursday on his podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out
, that Tebow has spoken at dozens of Life Surge events and been paid a reported $50,000 to $100,000 per engagement.
Tebow, a devout Christian, said he used the platform to spread his message on faith. My heart in getting to share there was to be able to share something that I love to share, which is the love of Christ and the good news of the gospel,
Tebow said Friday while with ESPN’s SEC Nation. So I think it’s really important that we can really understand all the facts and details of it.
According to Torre’s report, Life Surge initially charges around $30 to attend an event featuring Tebow, then encourages attendees to sign up for three-day classes for $97 to learn successful strategies in the stock market and real estate.
Tim Tebow and Christian organization “Life Surge” is the subject of Pablo Torre’s latest investigation. Pablo Torre Finds Out,
which was released Thursday, details the ESPN and SEC Network analyst’s involvement with the Christian organization that holds events across the country featuring speakers and entertainers.
Torre interviews Mother Jones’ Kiera Butler, who discussed the organization’s predatory tactics at their Life Surge event, which is a day described as an experience of Christian celebrity speakers, worship music, and financial advice. Tebow, per the reporting, earns between $50,000 and $100,000 per appearance.
The former Heisman Trophy winner declined to comment for the report. Torre uncovered that Life Surge charges roughly $30 for a ticket to one of its events where Tebow is a speaker. However, that just gets you in the door. According to the report, citing multiple former attendees, the events are designed to convince people to sign up for the organization’s educational classes on how to trade in the stock market or make money in real estate.
MARK LONG
By MARK LONG, AP Sports Writer GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tim Tebow said Friday he is pausing his relationship
with Life Surge, a Christian organization that’s been accused of using predatory sales tactics to exploit its followers’ faith and financial insecurity.
Tebow said he was caught off guard
by the Pablo Torre Finds Out
podcast that focused partly on Tebow’s speaking engagements with Life Surge. I was at an anti-human trafficking conference (Thursday), and my team shared (it) with me when we were leaving as we were flying to Alabama for the event, and kind of caught off guard with some of it.
Former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow announced on Friday that he would pause his relationship with Life Surge, a Christian organization accused of predatory sales tactics.
The report detailed how Life Surge, which hosts dozens of live events across the country, uses celebrity speakers like Tebow to bring in large crowds. Many event attendees say Christian messaging was used to pressure them into expensive classes and programs.
It’s really important to get answers to understand every bit of that. In my heart, getting to share [at Life Surge] was to be able to share something that I love to share, which is the love of Christ and the good news of the gospel, Tebow said