The sports media couldn't help it, and neither could Tim Tebow's New York Jets teammates. They had to give the quarterback grief for his shirtless jog through the rain after Saturday's practice.
"Like I told Tim, I've never seen anybody decide to take their shirt off in the rain," Jets linebacker Bart Scott said, drawing laughs. "Usually, I put stuff on. Maybe it was holy water, I don't know."
Although Tebow has commanded the lion's share of attention at Jets training camp, he has earned enough respect from his teammates that it doesn't matter if he's just a backup.
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Scott has been impressed by how Tebow has handled his immense popularity off the field. While the face of the Jets' franchise remains quarterback Mark Sanchez and the best player is cornerback Darrelle Revis, neither has the rock star-type following that Tebow has.
"I mean, it's humility," Scott said. "How can you ever not accept somebody who has humility, who works hard, who's a great teammate? I mean, I knew Tebow well before he came here and he showed me the respect to seek me out, ask me how to be a better pro. I mean, guys don't do that. You see the cameras that follow him. Half of you guys wouldn't be here if he wasn't here. But, he takes it all in stride and it never affects his relationship with his teammates.
"We all understand that it comes with the territory, and we're able to deal with it. It's New York. We can handle anything."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
