JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Formers Gators star and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow said Friday he is “pausing his relationship” with Life Surge, a Christian organization an investigation by a podcaster said used predatory sales tactics on followers.
“The allegations are extremely, extremely serious, and it’s something that we take very serious,” Tebow said, according to The Associated Press. “So, for us, we’re having our team do an investigation, but also pausing our relationship ‘til we can learn more about the facts to be able to understand more.”
Life Surge holds events around the country featuring prominent athletes, entertainers and other celebrities. Tebow spoke at Life Surge events more than 20 times in 2026. Podcaster Pablo Torre of “Pablo Torre Finds Out” reported Tebow earns between $50,000-$100,000 per appearance.
Pablo Torre conducted a joint investigation with Mother Jones into Life Surge, a Christian motivational and real estate seminar roadshow, that described the use of high-profile Christian athletes like Tim Tebow as promotional “bait.”
The report uncovered predatory sales tactics, aggressive financing practices, and government complaints from attendees left facing massive financial debt.
The investigation alleges that Life Surge pressures those in attendance for their $30 one-day events to purchase separate “introductory courses” that occur later at costs upwards of $10,000 or as much as $50,000.
To help customers pay for those courses, which specialize in topics such as the stock market and real estate, Life Surge reportedly encouraged attendees to take lines of credit out on their homes or sign up for credit cards with 0% interest rates - which later rise to upwards of 30 percent.
Tebow, a Jacksonville resident who is currently a college football analyst with ESPN’s SEC Nation, said his team is conducting an internal investigation. He spoke on campus in advance of the Mississippi-Florida game at Florida Field on Saturday.
Tebow said he was “caught off guard” by the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that focused partly on Tebow’s speaking engagements with Life Surge.
“I was at an anti-human trafficking conference (Thursday), and my team shared (it) with me when we were leaving as we were flying to Alabama for the event, and kind of caught off guard with some of it,” Tebow said. “I think that’s why I’m really trying to understand more of the facts to really learn it.”
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