Terrell Suggs and Tim Tebow: Why the Faith of NFL Players Should Be Off-Limits

I need to give Terrell Suggs credit for being an honest person, and I will. What he said about Tim Tebow was his honest opinion, and I won't fault him for sparing us the scripted jargon that so often makes up athlete's interviews.

Yet that doesn't change my belief that you can be honest, sincere and even factually accurate, and still be completely dead wrong.

Suggs wasn't misleading in the sense that he said something that wasn't true. "We don't need God on our sidelines" is an accurate statement, and to be honest, I think God himself would agree. In the context of the God of the Bible, being all-powerful, all-knowing and omnipotent, I truly don't think he cares at all about football even at the professional level.

While Suggs' words were factually accurate, his "message" and his reasoning were completely idiotic and disrespectful of Tebow's convictions.

Tim Tebow does in fact pray on the sidelines. He is almost constantly on one knee or simply sitting on the bench with his head bowed and his eyes closed. He's not trying to convert his teammates or fans, and he's not brow beating anybody with the faith that he holds. It is his belief.

Even the fact that he mentions Jesus Christ in his interviews and press conferences doesn’t come close to anything you could call "forcing your religion" on people. Tim's opinion is his own. He believes Jesus is God, and he should be free to say so.

Likewise, I also believe that people should be free to make fun of him for it. Case in point: Tebowing. But what Terrell Suggs said was not making fun of Tebow, rather he was making the case that Tebow shouldn't display his faith on the sidelines, or that it is unnecessary.

That is not Terrell's call to make.

It is not only disrespectful, but also intellectually childish to try and make the case that anyone who quietly, respectfully and joyfully lives life in a transparent manner wearing their beliefs on their sleeve should not be able to do so on the football field.

If players pray to Allah, Buddha or the Christian God of the Bible, they are in no way, shape or form detracting from the quality of life of those around them. Is it silly? Sure. Even Christians are impressed at Tebow's ability to share his faith publicly, but no one has the right to say it is unnecessary. The only person who can decide whether it's necessary is that person.

Whether the faith of football players compels them to pray for their team to do well or for something entirely unrelated should make no difference to us. It's hard for me to imagine that Terrell Suggs has not at some point prayed for a favorable outcome in a game he's played in.

Besides, how is it more noble to argue with some referee (often in a very public and visible manner) over the outcome of a game than it is to quietly commission God to turn things in your favor regardless of whether he does?

It's not nobler, and as far as those who disagree with Tebow's faith, it should be the exact same thing.

To be sure, I am opposed to being an unhealthy distraction in any walk of life. Berating other people without their consent is never to be condoned, and if Tebow were doing that, I would be one of the first to criticize him for it.

However, it remains undeniably true that he doesn't force his faith on anybody—rather, he handles his publicity with great class and poise, more so than many NFL players that have gone before him.

If any player in the league respectfully and quietly looks outside of himself for a solution, he should be commended and applauded, certainly not lectured about how, when and where that's allowed to take place.

As if it's more attractive to listen to players talk about how great and capable they are, how they aren't getting paid enough money or getting enough respect for their abilities. Is that tolerated? Is that "ok" to do publicly? Of course it is. Football fans put up with that kind of garbage all the time, and part of the reason a player like Tebow is so noticeable and refreshing is because he's not enamored with his own success and abilities.

God won't win Tebow football games, but if prayer is equal to "having God on the sidelines," then what Terrell Suggs has just said is that Tebow doesn't "need" to pray. Considering the personal nature of such a decision, this is something that should be off-limits as far as sports commentary is concerned.

Again, if a player wants to look outside himself for solutions to life's questions, that should be a welcome sight in the NFL as there aren't a whole lot of players who are willing to do it.