If anyone in this world knows anything about being criticized, it’s definitely LeBron James. His talent on the court is as unique as they come, so for the most part, many aren’t critical of what he does while playing. It’s mainly everything else he does. However, he apparently has a soft spot for other athletes that get criticized by members of the media. Yesterday, ESPN NFL analyst, Merril Hoge was a radio guest and was asked what he thinks of the Denver Broncos’ Tim Tebow. For those that don’t follow the NFL, Tebow is a Quarterback who is entering his second year in the NFL. He was a great college player, but there are many questions regarding whether or not his skills can translate to the NFL. Basically, he’s the football version of Jimmer Fredette for the same reasons.
Basically, Merril gave his brutality honest opinion on Tebow, saying that he doesn’t think he has what it takes. Tebow heard Hoge’s comments and tweeted:
Hey Merril…… ‘ppreciate that
Tebow has heard nothing but criticism since entering the NFL, so I understand that he’s probably sick of it by now. But out of nowhere, LeBron decided to jump in on twitter and give his two cents, coming to the aid of Tebow. Here were James’ tweets:
Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL. He’s a hard worker, a student of the game, a natural born leader and most of all a WINNER! It takes time and he’ll be nice
Listened to Merril Hoge today on SC and he was just blasting Tebow. The man hasn’t even play a full season and its only his 2nd year in.
Guys get on that TV and act like they was all WORLD when they played. How bout encouraging him and wishing him the best instead of hating!!
I don’t necessarily think that Hoge was “hating” on Tebow. He was asked to give his opinion on his skillset as a football player and he did that. But you can certainly understand why LeBron chimed in because the fraternity of professional athletes is a tight bond. But if you really read what LeBron said, you can see that he’s talking about himself through the Tebow situation. It sounds to me like he’s asking everyone to back off of him as well. Ever since he sustained that mental charlie horse mid-way through the Finals, for the first time in his career, LeBron heard pundits question his game (Not to mention being criticized as result of his decision as well). The one issue I have with LeBron’s comments, and is similar to what Shaq said about ESPN’s Skip Bayless, is that you don’t necessarily had to have been a great athlete in order to really know sports. That’s not a prerequisite to understanding what goes on between the lines. Unfortunately, that is something athletes routinely run to in defense of themselves.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
