Adam Schefter, ESPN Senior Writer 13y

Tim Tebow to appear in Jockey ads

NFL, Denver Broncos

An NFL work stoppage has not prevented Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow from finding work.

Tebow will make his commercial debut next week as the first professional athlete to model Jockey underwear since Jim Palmer in 1980, when the former Baltimore Orioles pitcher wore the Jockey Elance brief, according to a spokesman for the company.

Tebow will be wearing Jockey Staycool products and he will be featured in a blitz of magazine ads and television appearances in the coming days.

"People may say it's underwear, but everyone wears underwear -- it's not like I'm doing something risque," Tebow said this week from his home in Denver. "I wouldn't do anything that goes against what I stand for. The whole campaign is very classy."

Tebow shot the Jockey commercial in Los Angeles about a month after the season ended. Since then, he spent most of his time at the Broncos' training facility, until the players were locked out.

"I didn't go on any vacations," Tebow said. "I was at the Broncos' facility up until the night of the lockout. Now that we're locked out, I'm still training, still grinding away. Everyone wants to be there. The owners want to get things resolved for this season, the players want to play this season and most importantly, the fans want us to play this season. We don't want to do anything to hurt the greatest game in America. I hope and pray they'll come to a conclusion soon."

In the interim, Tebow will continue his workouts, his charitable work for his foundation and promoting Jockey. He is scheduled to appear at a Jockey event at Macy's in New York City's Herald Square in May, and he will be appearing in a national advertising campaign starting next week.

If the campaign is anywhere close to being as successful as the one for Palmer was, Tebow's popularity will continue to grow.

"I really take pride in what I endorse and what I attach my name to," Tebow said. "It's my character and what I stand for. Through my marketing company [XV Enterprises], I'm very fortunate to receive numerous endorsement opportunities and I take less than 1 percent of what's offered, which is ultimately only the ones I truly believe in."

Adam Schefter is ESPN's NFL Insider.

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