‘Nobody in the National Media Cares’ — Life Surge Claps Back at Pablo Torre for Targeting Tim Tebow ‘to Draw a Million Podcast Views’
· Yahoo Sports
The gloves are off as Life Surge pushes back on Pablo Torre’s investigation.
The Christian events company says Tim Tebow’s fame helped turn scrutiny of its business into a national story. Its latest statement took a swipe at Torre’s podcast audience while defending the former Florida quarterback, who has paused his relationship with the company.
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Life Surge Accuses Pablo Torre of Using Tim Tebow To Attract Viewers
“Life Surge is not big enough to draw a million podcast views on its own. Nobody in the national media cares that much about a one-day event in Columbus or Atlanta,” the company said in astatement Torre shared.
The company accused the coverage of leaning on Tebow’s reputation to get attention.
“So, this story was packaged around the most trusted Christian voice in American sports, and Tim Tebow’s name is what made it travel,”Life Surge continued.
That puts Torre’s motives squarely in the company’s crosshairs. Life Surge’s position is that the attention followed Tebow’s name, and it believes the coverage unfairly made him the centerpiece.
Torre and Mother Jones reporter Kiera Butler published their investigation on Sept. 24. Their reporting examined allegations that Life Surge used attendees’ faith and aggressive sales tactics to steer them toward expensive financial education programs.
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The company disputed those characterizations in an earlier response published by Torre. It said enrollment in its $97 Impact Classes and advanced training was voluntary, and that it did not train representatives to push customers into debt they could not afford.
Life Surge also said it did not ask headline speakers to endorse those programs. Torre published the company’s detailed response alongside the episode and said he stood by the reporting.
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Life Surge Defends Tebow as He Reviews the Allegations
Tebow had alreadypaused his relationship with Life Surge and announced that his team would investigate. On Sept. 25, he called the allegations “extremely, extremely serious.”
The company’s new statement expressed support for him.
“We love Tim. He has stood on our stages for years, his compensation has never been tied to the sale of anything, and what he brings to a crowd is a call to serve Jesus and to serve others,”Life Surge said.
“He has chosen to pause with Life Surge while his team gets to the facts, and we understand.”
That compensation claim matters to Life Surge’s defense of Tebow. The company is saying his speaking work carried no financial incentive tied to customers buying its products.
For Tebow, the uncomfortable part is already clear. Life Surge is defending his reputation publicly while he takes a closer look at the company behind the stages he stood on. His next decision will say plenty about whether that relationship has a future.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.