Tim Tebow pauses relationship with Christian organization accused of using predatory sales tactics蒂姆·蒂博暂停与一家被指控使用掠夺性销售策略的基督教组织的合作关系
Tim Tebow said Friday he is “pausing his relationship” with Life Surge, a Christian organization that’s been accused of using predatory sales tactics to exploit its followers’ faith and financial insecurity.
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Tim Tebow said Friday he is “pausing his relationship” with Life Surge, a Christian organization that’s been accused of using predatory sales tactics to exploit its followers’ faith and financial insecurity.
Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner who is currently a college football analyst with ESPN’s SEC Nation, said his team is conducting an internal investigation. He spoke on campus in advance of the Mississippi-Florida game at Florida Field on Saturday.
“The allegations are extremely, extremely serious, and it’s something that we take very serious,” Tebow said. “So, for us, we’re having our team do an investigation, but also pausing our relationship ‘til we can learn more about the facts to be able to understand more.”
Tebow said he was “caught off guard” by the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that focused partly on Tebow’s speaking engagements with Life Surge.
“I was at an anti-human trafficking conference (Thursday), and my team shared (it) with me when we were leaving as we were flying to Alabama for the event, and kind of caught off guard with some of it,” Tebow said. “I think that’s why I’m really trying to understand more of the facts to really learn it.”
His message to his loyal followers amid the allegations:
“It’s really important to get answers to understand every bit of that,” he said. “My heart … was to be able to share something that I love to share, which is the love of Christ and the good news of the gospel. And so I think it’s really important that we can really understand all the facts and details of it.”
The podcast’s investigation raised questions about Tebow’s knowledge of the organization’s practices.
Life Surge, which hosts around 30 events annually, typically brings in Christian celebrities like Tebow to headline events. At Life Surge’s one-day events, attendees are urged to sign up for impact classes that pitch packages ranging from $10,000 to $40,000, according to the podcast.
If attendees can’t afford the price tag, Life Surge reportedly connects them with third-party lenders who encourage them to apply for credit cards or take out home-equity loans, according to the podcast.
Life Surge has denied any wrongdoing, according to the podcast.
Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/档案照片
蒂姆·蒂博周五表示，他将“暂停与 Life Surge 的关系”。Life Surge 是一个基督教组织，被指控使用掠夺性的销售策略来利用其信徒的信仰和经济不安全感。
蒂姆·蒂博是2007年海斯曼奖得主，目前担任ESPN旗下SEC Nation的大学橄榄球分析员。他表示，他的球队正在进行内部调查。他是在周六佛罗里达球场举行的密西西比大学对阵佛罗里达大学的比赛前在校园内发表这番讲话的。
“这些指控极其严重，我们对此非常重视，”蒂博说。“所以，我们已安排团队展开调查，同时也会暂停与他的关系，直到我们了解更多事实，以便更好地理解情况。”
蒂博表示，他对“Pablo Torre Finds Out”播客感到“措手不及”，该播客部分内容聚焦于蒂博与 Life Surge 的演讲活动。
“我（周四）参加了一个反人口贩卖会议，我的团队在我们飞往阿拉巴马州参加会议的途中跟我分享了这些信息，其中一些内容让我感到措手不及，”蒂博说。“我想这就是为什么我努力了解更多事实，真正了解这件事的原因。”
在这些指控面前，他向忠实追随者传达了以下信息：
他说：“弄清楚所有细节真的非常重要。我衷心希望能够分享我热爱分享的东西，那就是基督的爱和福音的喜讯。所以我认为，我们真正了解所有的事实和细节至关重要。”
该播客的调查引发了人们对蒂博是否了解该组织运作方式的质疑。
据播客报道，Life Surge每年举办约30场活动，通常会邀请像蒂博这样的基督教名人担任主讲嘉宾。在Life Surge的一日活动中，参与者会被鼓励报名参加各种“影响力课程”，这些课程的套餐价格从1万美元到4万美元不等。
据播客报道，如果参与者负担不起价格，Life Surge 会将他们与第三方贷款机构联系起来，鼓励他们申请信用卡或房屋净值贷款。
据播客报道，Life Surge否认有任何不当行为。