'Bounty' on Tim Tebow's Virginity a Form of Prostitution?
The New Orleans Saints bounty scandal is currently being dealt with by NFL officials, and already another bounty has been issued: $1 million in exchange for proof that Tim Tebow is no longer a virgin.
A controversial website that helps married individuals have affairs, AshleyMadison.com, is offering $1 million to the woman who can prove she has been sexually involved with the New York Jets' quarterback.
"I personally thought it was a very offensive publicity stunt...And I think that not only is it insulting to highlight Tim in that way, but I think it's insulting to all the people who hold to the same conviction that Tim would have," Esther Fleece, a Focus on the Family spokesperson, told The Christian Post on Wednesday.
Fleece says she first read about the bounty among other sports-related stories on the Internet. But it's not a sports story, she says, and it is unfair for the media to ask questions about a football player's sexuality when it has nothing to do with the game or his career.
A press release from Ashley Madison claims that "Tebow has been using his infamy from this year's football season to get some ladies in the sack." The company is now seeking proof of its claim by accepting photographs, videos, DNA samples or sworn affidavits from the mothers of the women who claim to have had a sexual encounter with Tebow.
The now 24-year-old Tebow was first asked whether or not he was a virgin at an SEC Media Day press conference three years ago. He said that he was, and it appears that he now has a $1 million target on his back as a result.
"I think there are many people that hold Tim's view on purity and on abstinence, the difference is we're not being asked that with a public platform," said Fleece. "I think it takes an even stronger person to be able to handle the criticism and mocking when you're in the spotlight like Tim is."
She believes that, as a result of the Ashley Madison offer, women will begin trying to seduce Tebow in order to get the money. People are often outraged when they hear that politicians have had extramarital affairs, she says, but they should be equally upset over what the company is asking women to do through this offer.
"It's very serious what Ashley Madison is charging females to do, and I think it's a form of prostituting themselves," Fleece said.
She says today's American culture is "sexually hypercharged," and those who hold to high standards of purity need to be sure to support one another.
"It's not surprising, but it's disheartening, and I certainly would like to see Christians hold to a higher standard and support those who do hold to a higher standard."