Tim Tebow, who is perhaps just as well known for his devotion to Christianity as he is for football, had his lawyer send a cease-and-desist letter to Cubby Tees, a company which is selling a t-shirt bearing a logo similar to that of the Jets but says “Jesus” instead. There’s also a little football-shaped Ichthus fish below it.
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According to Tebow’s lawyers, “The Merchandise makes it appear as if Mr. Tebow actually endorses Cubby Tees and its products.”
As news of this story broke, however, people began to wonder if Tebow has a leg to stand on (or Tebow on, if you prefer), since the shirt doesn’t reference him in any way and doesn’t include his image or name. It’s fairly obvious that people who have any football knowledge are going to associate it with Tebow, however, and that’s what the quarterback is worried about.
The entire thing is reminiscent of the controversial Broncos jerseys which were being sported by fans in support of Tebow and which he didn’t have a problem with. And while these t-shirts may very well just be for fans who support Tebow and his choice to speak his mind about Christianity, some will take it as an affront to the game, the athlete, and the religion.
Cubby Tees tweeted about the story today after their site went down due to all the traffic the news caused.
@NFLVR Working on it (back up shortly). Thanks for plug – success is 1 thing, unforeseen media firestorm of “biblical” proportions another