Getty Tim Tebow, Luke Bryan
Country star Luke Bryan prides himself on being a pretty great prankster. But the “American Judge” has apparently met his match in former NFL player Tim Tebow, who recently spilled the beans on how he got back at Bryan for messing around with one of his most prized possessions. Here are the details…
Tebow’s Heisman Trophy Has Become a Traveling Award
GettyTim Tebow returns to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December 2009
Back when Tebow was the quarterback for the University of Florida, he became the first sophomore to ever be awarded the coveted Heisman Trophy, which honors the most outstanding player in college football. He was later drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2010, and also played for the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
During an interview on “The Dan Patrick Show” on September 21, 2022, 35-year-old Tebow revealed that he doesn’t always know where his Heisman Trophy is because he auctions it off every six months to a year, giving other people a chance to have the prestigious trophy for a few months as a way to raise money for charity.
“I’ve used it to auction off for a charity for people to keep in their homes, use it as something they can brag about,” Tebow told Patrick.
Most people just put it on display, but when jokester Bryan won the auction to have the award in his house for six months, the huge Georgia fan decided to have a little fun with Tebow’s award since he played for the University of Florida, a rival of Georgia.
“Luke Bryan, him and his wife, Caroline, who are so sweet, they’re a big part of some nonprofits and we work together, and so he and his wife won it,” Tebow explained.
In November 2020, Bryan even posted Instagram videos of himself messing around with the Heisman Trophy, using it as a hook for their family’s accessories, from a hat to a dish towel. He wrote, “Man this thing comes in handy @timtebow.”
Tebow told Patrick that wasn’t all he did to the trophy; in another video, he dressed the trophy in a Georgia sweatshirt. But that wasn’t the worst of it.
“Then, leading up to Florida-Georgia, ’cause he’s such a Georgia fan, he would put a Georgia jersey on it, he would put peanut butter all over it, let his dog lick it off, he would do all sorts of stuff, and I was like, ‘This isn’t fair,’” Tebow said.
Tebow Worked With Bryan’s Wife to Get Him Back
As an elite athlete, Tebow’s competitive nature kicked in and he sought out a way to get back at Bryan. But he got some inside help, from Bryan’s wife Caroline; the couple are notorious for pranking each other, so she was probably happy to help.
Caroline snuck one of Bryan’s CMA Artist of the Year Awards — a large crystal award with a pointed tip.
“I worked with his wife to get one of his CMA Artist of the Year Awards, which is kind of a unique-looking award, so, I started getting that and sending him videos of me using it as a sparkling water opener or a jack for a car, being able to lift it up,” he told Patrick.
Tebow even posted an Instagram video of himself and his wife Demi-Leigh using crystal trophy as a giant coffee stirrer. He said when CMA officials saw that, they were less than thrilled.
“I think the CMAs got kind of upset with it. I didn’t actually hurt it, it just looked like we were using it that way,” he said.
Both awards have since been returned to their rightful owners, and Tebow continues to auction off his Heisman. This effort has raised over a million dollars for charities via the Tim Tebow Foundation.
He said, “My goal with that is that it could be the most impactful Heisman one day, not by sitting on a shelf and us looking at it, by being on a lot of other shelves and making an impact in a lot of kids’ lives.”