Tim Tebow Coverage to Be Scaled Down by ESPN

Over the last 12 months, if you turned on ESPN odds are good there was a discussion of Tim Tebow happening, or one on the horizon. All of that appears to be coming to an abrupt end, at least if you believe network president John Skipper. 

According to a report from John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, Skipper has ordered his producers to cut back on the amount of time devoted to Tebow. 

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In an interview last week at his N.Y. office, Skipper said, "I said, 'Guys, we didn't handle this very well.' Going to training camp wasn't a problem. We just stayed on it relentlessly and too long."

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Skipper also cites an October appearance from former ESPN radio host Doug Gottlieb on The Dan Patrick Show as the reason for the change. In the interview with Patrick, Gottlieb said he was specifically told "you can't talk enough Tebow."

Certainly, anyone who has paid attention to the powerful sports network after Tebow took over the starting quarterback job in Denver last year knows what Gottlieb is talking about. It didn't matter what show you were watching, there was going to be at least 10-15 minutes dedicated to Tebow. 

There was a one-hour SportsCenter special dedicated exclusively to Tebow. ESPN basically had a camera crew around Tebow 24/7, similar to what it did when Pedro Gomez was following Barry Bonds around in the mid-2000s. 

Skip Bayless, the most ardent defender of all things Tebow, has basically made it his mission to make sure the world knows how much he loves the current New York Jets quarterback, and he takes it to ridiculous lengths. Well, at least LeBron James is still fair game.

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