Tim Tebow
His success at Florida and first-round pick status, has made Tim Tebow a beacon for home-school advocates who want their children to participate in local sports. Reuters

A new bill making its way through the Texas State Legislature has been dubbed by supporters as the “Tim Tebow Bill.”

According to the Dallas Morning News, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would allow home-schooled students to play in sports and other University Interscholastic League programs.

Now the law must get past the state’s House, which the Morning News pointed out has been the biggest hurdle for a home-schooled athlete mandate. Texas would be the 28th state to allow home-schooled athletes to participate with their local schools.

Before he won the Heisman Trophy and two national championships at Florida, Tebow was a home-schooled athlete who was allowed to play for his local high school team. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2010 draft, and earned a 7-4 record as a starter and a playoff berth and victory for Denver in 2011.

Texas is not the only state weighing the options for home-schooled children. Without involving the state legislature, the Indiana High School Athletic Associate passed new rules last week that will allow home-schooled children to participate in high school sports, as long as they pass all state-required testing, according to WSBT.com

This also isn’t the first time a state has adopted Tebow’s name for a cause. In Alabama, a group was formed in 2005 to advocate for home-schooled children, and was also dubbed the “Tim Tebow Bill”. As of last month, they are still meeting resistance from state legislators.

Since being cut by the New York Jets, Tebow has yet to find a new team for next season, in the NFL or CFL, but he reportedly has options outside of football should he decide to hang up his cleets.

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