Tim Tebow seeks comeback, this time in baseball

Former Gators quarterback pursues pro baseball career

(Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Tim Tebow is seeking a comeback, but it's not in the sport for which he became a first-round draft pick.

The former Florida Gators star is pursuing a career in professional baseball and plans to hold a workout for Major League Baseball teams later this month, according to multiple reports.

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Tebow hasn't played baseball since high school, but at least one former MLB All-Star believes the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner has a legitimate shot.

"I absolutely believe in his ability to play in the bigs," former Marlins slugger Gary Sheffield said Tuesday on Twitter.

Tebow has notified his current employer, ESPN, of his desire to play baseball, but he will continue to fulfill his obligations to the network, ESPN.com reported.

After winning two national championships at Florida, Tebow became the 25th overall pick of the Denver Broncos. He spent two seasons in Denver before being traded to the New York Jets in 2012 after the Broncos signed recently retired quarterback Peyton Manning.

Tebow was released after the 2012 season. He spent the 2013 preseason with the New England Patriots and played in all four preseason games for the Philadelphia Eagles last year, but he was cut both times.

The 2005 Mr. Football award winner set the state record for career passing yards, single-season passing yards, touchdown passes, total offense and total touchdowns. He hit .494 as a junior at Allen D. Nease High School near Jacksonville, but he gave up baseball as a senior so he could enroll at Florida early.

While that could be a cause for concern for some MLB clubs, it apparently isn't for one independent league team.

The Schaumburg Boomers in Schaumburg, Illinois, have already offered Tebow a contract to play outfielder for the franchise.

"We're looking for an athletic outfielder who can bring some leadership and competitiveness into the clubhouse," Boomers manager Jamie Bennett said in a statement Tuesday on the team's website. "Tebow brings all of those characteristics and then some. I think he'd be a great fit here in Schaumburg."

Tebow has been training in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Los Angeles.


About the Author:

Peter Burke returned for a second stint of duty at Local 10 News in February 2014.