Tebow debuts; Pujols defends reputation

Quarterback Tim Tebow struggled in his first appearance in a New England Patriots uniform Friday night, completing just four of 12 pass attempts for 55 yards. He entered the Patriots’ preseason opener after backup quarterback Ryan Mallett suffered a head injury. On the first two throws of his night, Tebow missed his receivers, and Philadelphia defenders sacked the 2007 Heisman Trophy-winner three times.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 245-pound Tebow is hoping to make the Patriots’ final 53-man roster as a third-string quarterback behind Mallett and starter Tom Brady. Alternatively, the Patriots may ask Tebow to play tight end due to the team’s lack of depth at that position.

Despite his unimpressive start, Tebow kept an upbeat mood in the locker room after the game. According to a Washington Post reporter, Tebow responded to a cameraman who took the Lord’s name in vain by looking at him and saying, “He loves you.”

“I think I’ve got room for improvement,” Tebow said after the game. “I did some things well, there are some other things I’d like to do better and I think that’s what these [preseason] games are for.”

Across the country, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols, another vocal Christian athlete, expressed his anger over former major league player Jack Clark’s accusations of steroid-use. Clark, a co-host of an afternoon sports talk show on WGNU in St. Louis, claimed he knew “for a fact” that a trainer had injected Pujols with performance-enhancing drugs.

While Pujols’ former trainer Chris Mihlfeld vehemently denied the accusations, Pujols threatened legal action over Clark’s comments. Pujols, a father of five, released a statement explaining how seriously he takes being a role model:

“I’ve said time and time again that I would never take, or even consider taking, anything illegal. I’ve been tested hundreds of times throughout my career and never once have I tested positive. … My faith in Jesus Christ, and my respect for this game are too important to me. I would never be able to look my wife or kids in the eye if I had done what this man is accusing me of.”

The company that produced the talk show fired Clark and his co-host Kevin Slaten on Saturday.