Bill Belichick: It's 'completely untrue' that I hate Tim Tebow

A Yahoo! Sports report last week on Tim Tebow's struggles to land with an NFL team quoted a source who said that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick "hates" Tebow as a player. Belichick is normally not one to let what the media says stick in his craw, but on Thursday he fired back at those who suggested he has any ill feelings toward the quarterback.

Via ESPN Boston:

"I wouldn't get into the probability of us pursuing any free agent," Belichick said. "Every single player has strengths and weaknesses but regardless of that, for anyone to have represented that is the way I feel about Tim Tebow is completely untrue, baseless and irresponsible. It is unfortunate that something so inaccurate was reported."

Belichick has been publicly complimentary to Tebow in the past. The Patriots hosted Tebow for a pre-draft visit in 2010, and he was drafted by current Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels when McDaniels was the head coach of the Denver Broncos. Reports after Tebow was released by the New York Jets even suggested that the Patriots were interested in signing Tebow as an occasional change of pace from Tom Brady.

Belichick's true feelings likely lay somewhere between the two extremes of hate and adoration that Tebow seems to inspire in the NFL's more vocal fans. Media outlets have had a tendency to exploit that dichotomy just a smidge.

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