Schools
Following Trade, 'Tebowing' Students Hope to Meet Star Athlete
A group of students suspended last year after a 'Tebowing' incident at Riverhead High School say they would be honored to meet the new member of the New York Jets.
While news of Tim Tebow's arrival in New York hit media outlets far and wide this week, one group of locals was particularly excited to hear that the quarterback is coming to town.
Last December, a group of Riverhead High School students made national headlines themselves, as a after administrators said they had been warned about blocking the halls in the past.
The kids told Yahoo! sports at the time that the display was "out of respect for Tebow, and because 'Tebowing' is the new thing to do."
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Tebow — who is going into his third year in the National Football League and had led the Denver Broncos to six straight wins at the time of the incident — is known for his devout Christianity and intensity on and off the field. "Tebowing" had gained popularity as the Broncos continued to pile up late-game wins.
Fast forward a few months after the New England Patriots bounced the Broncos from the playoffs, and after the fad slowed to a memory, and Tyler and Connor Carroll are hoping they might even be able to meet one of their idols.
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"It would be an honor to meet him," said Connor. "If he came out here that would be unbelievable. But I don't expect him to."
"We think it would be something cool if he were to come out here," said Tyler.
The brothers haven't made any formal requests to the quarterback,
The Denver Broncos quarterback told the Associated Press at the time that he understood both sides of the coin - that sometimes, people have to have "the courage to do something different," though for those who were warned about blocking the halls, respect for the rules should have been heeded.
The Carroll brothers were initially suspended along with their friends Jordan Fulcoly and Wayne Drexel, though suspensions for the latter two were later lifted.
Principal David Wicks said he hasn't had any problems with the kids since - he even as they painted their bodies blue during a girls' hoops playoff run - and didn't rule out the possibility of welcoming Tebow to RHS.
"When we have a guest speaker we have to take students out of class, so we would have to justify that for an educational or social benefit to the students," Wicks said. "To have him as a guest speaker would depend on the context of what it would be. I certainly wouldn't say no to anything."
While the brothers wish Tebow the best - "Tebow should start, but [Mark] Sanchez probably will," Tyler said - the two said they plan to remain New York Giants fans. Though Fulcoly, an Eagles fan, said he may start rooting for the Jets.
A request for comment from the New York Jets media office was not immediately returned. The quarterback arrived in New York on Thursday.
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