Tim Tebow and Casey Therriault — Saved By Work and Grace

Last updated on: August 2, 2015 at 11:55 am by Kate O'Hare

Tim Tebow and Casey Therriault — Saved By Work and Grace 2015-08-02T11:55:57-08:00 Kate O'Hare

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Not long ago, Tim Tebow’s career as an NFL quarterback had been blown dead. After the Denver Broncos let him go in favor of Peyton Manning, he had a brief stint at the New York Jets, than an even briefer stint with the New England Patriots — then, nothing. Tebow hasn’t appeared in a regular-season NFL game since 2012.

He got work as a college-football commentator, made many speaking appearances, was the subject of various romantic rumors (but zero scandal) and did some commercials. But the one thing that all those who know about these things knew for sure was that Tebow would never again play in the NFL.

Everyone knew it — except Tim Tebow. He hired throwing coach Tom House (who also works with Pats QB Tom Brady) and spent untold hours in Los Angeles refining and improving his throwing technique and keeping his body fit, waiting for an opportunity to come.

His detractors may yet be right, but there’s an equally good chance they’ll be dead wrong. After working out for the Philadelphia Eagles on March 16 — 316 being a very
significant number for Tebow — coach Chip Kelly signed him to a one-year deal. Of course, he still has to survive training camp and make the final roster, but it’s further than anyone thought he could get — except, of course, the QB himself.

Now, Eagles outside linebacker Brandon Graham recently said in a radio interview:

Tim Tebow is going to shock a lot of people, because he’s going to make the team. I think he’ll play a lot.

Time will tell, but possibly the best lesson to come from the Tebow’s Eagles saga is to never lose faith — either in Christ or in yourself (and to put in the work).

But being in the NFL isn’t the only measure of success.

When he was a hotshot high-school quarterback in Michigan, Casey Therriault threw a punch at 21-year-old Jonathan Krystiniak in the course of a confrontation involving him and some of his buddies. After that punch, Therriault left the scene, but the fight escalated, leaving Krystiniak with injuries that eventually led to his death.

Therriault took a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter in 2009 and spent six months in county jail. Although his record was eventually expunged because of good behavior, the incident left a big question mark on his record, scaring off many colleges. But it didn’t scare historically black Jackson State University in Mississippi.

In an ESPN story, Rick Comegy, coach of the Jackson State Tigers, said:

He was just such a great athlete on film. He was clearly a Division I-A athlete to me. He was smart, could throw and run the ball. I wasn’t worried about [his past] at all. We talked to people, found out the whole scenario. He paid his debt to society. He just wanted to go to college and get his education.

Therriault became the Tigers’ star QB, earning the nickname “White Tiger” (a nickname originally given to Jim Gregory, a white quarterback who played at historically black Grambling College in 1962). According to his LinkedIn page, Therriault was on the dean’s list from fall 2010-fall 2011; was voted team captain during his two years playing football at JSU; and attended on a full scholarship.

Therriault went on to play in the Canadian Football League and is currently the quarterback for the New Yorker Lions of the German Football League, where he led them to back-to-back German Bowl titles.

Here’s his story, in documentary form:

Now Therriault’s second-chance tale is going to become a feature film from Sony Pictures, tentatively titled “The White Tiger.” Announced at the Variety Purpose Family Entertainment + Faith-Based Summit on June 25 in Beverly Hills, California. The writer is Ben Younger (“The Boiler Room”), who will also direct.

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