Tim Tebow Not Ruling Out Political Future

Former Gator tells Vogue 'I want to have a life that can help people'

Former Gator star and New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow is only three years into his professional football career, but he already has thought about his second life after football is over: politics.

In the latest issue of Vogue, he addressed whether he would consider a career in politics, and the answer was a definite probably. He has mostly focused his off-field exploits in building his charitable foundation, but a political future is on his mind.

"You can get looked at in a certain light, or people think, This is this type of person, he wouldn’t do this," Tebow explained to Vogue. "There are a lot of goals and ambitions that I have in life, things I want to accomplish. Who knows? I mean—it could be politics one day. I want to have a life that can help people."

Through his charitable work, Tebow is helping to build a hospital in the Philippines, where he was born while his parents were on a Christian mission. He has also visited the country to volunteer at health clinics, somewhat famously assisting a doctor performing circumcisions a few summers ago while he was on summer break at UF.

Most notable from a political standpoint was the antiabortion commercial featuring Tebow and his mother that ran during the 2010 Super Bowl. The ad was produced by Focus on the Family, a Christian nonprofit organization.

Earlier this month, Tebow told ESPN.com, "I haven't ruled out anything like that. It won't be anytime soon in my future, but it'll be something I'll at least look at and consider one day."

If he does test his hand at politics, it seems unlikely he would do so in his current home, New York. Besides the fact that a socially-conservative person like Tebow would have trouble getting elected in the Big Apple, Tebow himself does not seem terribly comfortable in the city, preferring to spend time with his family playing board games instead.

"The city itself is a little overwhelming," he said. "It's going to take a while before I actually build up the courage to drive in."

But Tebow, who grew up in the Jacksonville area, could be the kind of telegenic devout Christian who succeeds in Florida politics. He would not be the first ex-football player to succeed in politics, either. Jack Kemp, the former Buffalo Bills quarterback, served nine terms in Congress before being Bob Dole's running mate in the 1996 presidential election. Former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne served three terms in Congress as well.

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