Tim Tebow doesn’t want to be defined by his football career. Or his baseball career. Or his broadcasting career. The now-retired athlete aims to leave a lasting legacy as an advocate for the victims of human trafficking, rallying for legislation such as the recently introduced Renewed Hope Act.
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, now 38, speaks more like an activist than an athlete when discussing his nonprofit foundation’s work.
He doesn’t stumble as he recites the numbers. Authorities have recorded more than 89,000 instances of unidentified children who have appeared in exploitation materials. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline recorded more than 29 million incidents of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2024.
He stands tall in the pocket, refusing to sugarcoat or gloss over the horrific realities of these cases.
One of the first victims Mr. Tebow met was working for her mother. The child recounted a day when she didn’t make enough money from selling her body.
“When she came home, her mom, being in such a place of desperation, took her and boiled out her eye,” Mr. Tebow told The Washington Times. “If she didn’t make enough money that way, then maybe she would make her look worse, and people might have more compassion.”
It’s an extreme example, but one of many that Mr. Tebow has seen since he started his work in the space more than a decade ago. The former NFL quarterback uses his foundation — and the platform he acquired as a household name — to advocate for and support children in need.
“Sometimes people only speak on behalf of things that can make them money, or they only speak on behalf of things that will further their career,” said Tim Nelson, the CEO of anti-trafficking charity Hope For Justice. “What I’ve seen in genuine sit-downs at tables, discussing it with him, is how much his heart breaks for this as an issue.”
In recent years, advocacy has evolved into action. The voice that rallied teams in locker rooms is the same one hoping to inspire others in boardrooms and on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Tebow has spoken about trafficking in front of Congress and is now rallying support for the Renewed Hope Act of 2026 — a bipartisan bill that would increase federal funding to help identify victims of exploitation.
“Children must be protected from the staggering rise in digital predators who seek to exploit them. That means expanding efforts to identify and support these child victims of online abuse,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, said in a statement. “Mounting evidence points to a disturbing escalation of extreme, violent online content.”
The legislation would allow the Cyber Crime Center in Washington to increase its number of victim identification specialists tenfold.
Human trafficking and child exploitation have been moved to the front of American culture due to the ongoing and evolving discussions around convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The renewed awareness of Epstein’s offenses creates a double-edged sword for advocates like Mr. Tebow and Mr. Nelson. Any conversations about trafficking help to reduce the stigma and increase safeguards for vulnerable populations. But the trope of a shadowy, ultra-rich cabal misrepresents the more common dangers.
“You have all these wrong thoughts of what this looks like,” Mr. Tebow said.
Enormous trafficking rings, like the ones associated with Mr. Epstein or film franchises like “Taken” or “Hostel,” are uncommon.
The reality is even sadder, the advocates said. Many victims are forced into sex work by family members. Others are groomed online. Many victims of human trafficking aren’t subjected to sexual violence, but they may have their passports taken away by abusers who want them to “work off” a debt.
“Often when people think about human trafficking, they’re thinking about somebody walking down the street and maybe being grabbed,” Mr. Nelson said. “But the reality is, the majority of those victims that are in human trafficking have been groomed.”
Regardless, any awareness can help start conversations about human trafficking. That’s the first step.
“It has to go from awareness to action,” Mr. Tebow said. “That’s the hope, if we could use some of that awareness, but to bring it to a place where people can do something.”
The Florida product toes the line between humble and self-deprecating when discussing his own role. Every advocate has a unique ability — whether it’s finding victims, connecting with them, or convincing lawmakers that these initiatives are worth funding.
“I don’t know if I have a lot of talents. I think I’m probably slightly more of a screw-up than a talent, because I’ve been through so many teams I can’t even remember,” Mr. Tebow said, referring to his journeyman career in the NFL and minor league baseball. “I just know that I’ve been called to this place to speak for those that don’t have a voice.”
He has the platform, with four million followers on X and countless fans who closely followed his playing career. Even if he lacks other talent, that fan base counts for something, according to Mr. Nelson.
“Tim has put his whole heart behind this, and I would say his shoulder as well, which is a pretty big shoulder. When he puts himself behind it, there are many people who want to get behind that, too,” he said. “Having Tim on this, it’s like having an MVP on your team.”
Mr. Tebow, one of the most successful collegiate quarterbacks in history, was widely seen as a bust during his professional athletic career.
A first-round pick in the NFL draft, he never developed into a starting-caliber quarterback. When he switched to baseball, he never escaped the minor leagues.
His NFL comeback — as a tight end with the Jacksonville Jaguars — fizzled out in the preseason.
The athletic career may have given him fame, but he doesn’t want to be remembered for it.
“Tim spoke to me about wanting to leave a legacy of freedom. … ” Mr. Nelson said. “There’s only two things that are unique about every individual: our voice and our fingerprints. There is the sense that everything Tim is doing is about shaping a society that really could throw human trafficking into the history books.”
Mr. Tebow’s current focus remains on the Renewed Hope Act. The proposed legislation cleared a judiciary committee and will advance to a vote in the House. He hopes it’ll cause more Americans to have difficult conversations about the horrors of human trafficking.
“It’s one of the worst evils in the world today, and it’s something that lives in the dark, and people don’t want to talk about it because it makes them uncomfortable,” he said. “I really believe that we have to be willing to be uncomfortable.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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