‘Tim Tebow Bill’ sparks controversy in State Legislature

While his greatest sports successes came at the University of Florida, it’s often glossed over that Tim Tebow was home-schooled.

In fact, Tebow had not attended a single day at a public school until he got to Gainesville, according to ABC News.

Given the quality of his character, it seems safe to say that the former Heisman winner’s home-schooling worked out for the best.

“They wanted us to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, but it wasn’t No. 1. It wasn’t the most important thing,” Tebow told ABC News in 2018. “They wanted to instill love in our hearts, love for God, love for one another,” he said. “They wanted us to be able to learn a work ethic, a dedication.”

Another key facet of his life is his athletic career. It might not be as important to him as his faith and charity, but it’s still a sizable part of the fabric of Tebow.

All that leads to an interesting question: How did Tebow play school sports despite never having attended a public school prior to the University of Florida?

A law introduced in 1996 in Florida allowed home-schooled students to play sports at local schools. That enabled Tebow to play prep football at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville and then at Nease High School. Unsurprisingly, there was quite a bit of controversy when Tebow led Nease to a state championship in 2005 despite not being a student there.

Now that very same law that allowed Tebow to participate for Nease has made the rounds across various states. It is commonly referred to as the “Tim Tebow law,” or the “Tim Tebow bill” in states where it’s proposed.

One such state that’s considering its own “Tim Tebow bill” is West Virginia.

“Home school students would have to meet certain academic levels for two years before participating,” Republican Joe Ellington said. “They would also have to stay in their own district, maintain a code of ethics and discipline and have the same immunizations as public school students.”