Tim Tebow became the brunt of mean remarks after media reported that his supposed split from former beauty queen Olivia Culpo happened because of a disagreement over the football celebrity's purity vows, even though recent reports already clarified that the famous, ex-New England Patriots quarterback never had an official relationship with Culpo in the first place.
Various media outlets jumped at the opportunity to poke fun on the NFL player's much publicized virgin status after reports came out that the Rhode Island beauty had officially dumped Tebow.
The rumors of the split were strengthened when Culpo publicly posted this tweet on her Twitter account on the 27th of November:
"Being rejected from something good just means you were being pointed toward something better." - Olivia Culpo (@oliviaculpo) November 27, 2015
Speculations that the two had broken up due to Tebow's personal "no sex before marriage" rule went viral and took on a life of its own, affording media outlets a chance to ridicule the free agent celebrity for his unconventional philosophy.
Later TMZ was forced to admit the faulty reports after it admitted that "Tebow and Culpo's romantic relationship never went beyond the rumor stage," as told to them by a source.
Apparently the rumored couple had met in church and went out a few times in the company of other friends, but they had never had a one-on-one dating experience, much less relationship, even though it was true enough that Tebow had incurred a romantic interest in the cellist and TV star.
The respective reps of the two celebrities have also categorically denied the relationship between the two, but the story of two attractive celebrities such as Tebow and Culpo proved too strong to resist. Nevertheless, despite correcting their error on the bottom line in the Tebow-Culpo romance, TMZ still grabbed an opportunity to poke fun once more on the NFL player's abstinence:
"Our sources say Tim did show interest in Olivia, and they hung out a few times WITH mutual friends ... but never had a one-on-one date. Bottom line -- no dating, no breakup and still no boning."
Related: Tim Tebow Loses A Girlfriend Olivia Culpo, Gains Respect
Jeff Kemp, the former professional quarterback in the National Football League, rose to Tebow's defense after several days of non-stop ridicule directed at the football player. Kemp's written opinion piece on Fox News openly praised Tebow's tough stand in the midst of humiliation among those who don't share the Christian quarterback's religious views:
"There are many men and women-some virgins, some who have had sex in the past-who have made commitments to celibacy for their future until marriage. While they may not have their commitment to abstinence sniped at on social media, they nonetheless face pressure from our culture to cave in when it comes to sex.
That's why Tebow's public stand is so important-because it encourages others who are on the same path. And the truth is, we need more Tim Tebows."