Tim Tebow Prepared to Make Super Bowl Appearance in Pro-Family Commercial

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Jan 21, 2010

Tim Tebow Prepared to Make Super Bowl Appearance in Pro-Family Commercial Between the Budweiser and Go Daddy commercials during Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7, expect to see a slightly more serious message than a bunch of men hailing to a "magic fridge."

On Wednesday, CBS approved a commercial script featuring Tim Tebow in a pro-family advertisement. Before a final thumbs-up, the network has to review the finished product, but according to Media Daily News, the ad will probably get the go-ahead.

Tebow will appear with his mother in the 30-second spot for the Evangelical group Focus on the Family. The former Florida Gators quarterback was targeted because of his religious views and public stance on the abortion issue. The spot is rumored to detail Tebow's mother refusing doctors' advice to abort her child (Tebow) who suffered from a life-threatening infection.

In Saturday's announcement about the advertisement, Focus on the Family president and CEO Jim Daly said that the Tebows’ story "is such an important one for our culture to hear” and comes at a time when "families need to be inspired."

The nonprofit group denied rumors that the content of the commercial will have a hard-line, pro-life message. Focus on the Family has revealed that the theme of the ad will be "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life."

CBS also explains that, in the past, the network has rejected Super Bowl advocacy ads that would cause too much opposition or controversy.

"Our standards and practices continue to adhere to a policy that insures that all ads on all sides of an issue are appropriate for air," CBS spokesperson Dana McClintock told The New York Times.

The going rate for spots during this year’s Super Bowl is between $2.5 million and $2.8 million. Daly said all the funds for the ad came from a handful of "very generous and committed friends," and that no money from the group's general fund was used.

The advocacy ad is not only questionable because it will interrupt a slew of lighthearted, entertaining commercials, but also because it has sparked debate over how the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner's advocacy will affect his football career and upcoming NFL draft position.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello advises that a player "can appear in such ads as an individual expressing his views. Use of team marks or logos, however, would require separate approval."

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