Tim Tebow drew plenty of strange looks and laughs Saturday night at the Denver Broncos' practice. And it wasn't for anything he did on the field.
Before an open workout, the first-round draft pick out of Florida and other rookies received wacky haircuts as part of a traditional hazing ritual. Tebow, who sported a full head of spiky locks before the makeover, came out for warm-ups looking like a Friar with a giant bald spot on top and a ring of hair around it.
Veterans told The Denver Post that they were trying to make Tebow look like the Statue of Liberty. "It was my vision," linebacker Wesley Woodyard said.
Tebow said he willingly let Woodyard go to work with the razor. "He was getting a few blows back from the college days," Tebow said with a laugh. Woodyard, entering his third season with the Broncos, went to Tebow's SEC rival Kentucky.
"I think all the rookies had a good time with it," Tebow said. "It was something to give everybody a laugh, something also to build chemistry."
With his full beard still intact, Tebow's new look was hard to miss. The crowd at Invesco Field broke into laughter Saturday when his image was shown on the big screen.
It didn't take long for photos of Tebow's strange haircut to circulate around the Internet. New Broncos running back LenDale White sent out the first pic on his Twitter account with the message: "Look at Tebow's new hair style. LMAO. Looks good, rook!!!" Fans followed in the fun by taking snapshots after Denver's practice.
Of course, Tebow wasn't the only one victimized by rookie hazing. Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker and left guard Zane Beadles emerged with odd Mohawks, while offensive lineman Eric Olsen now has several large bald spots but with long, flowing locks still down the back. Tight end Nathan Overbay was left with half a haircut -- his left side sheared and his right side untouched.
Despite the public humiliation, Tebow impressed in front of the home crowd Saturday night. He tossed a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in the corner of the end zone and later flashed his rushing ability, taking it in for another score on a short scamper.
"To go out there and play in the stadium for the first time was really exciting," Tebow said. "To be able to have a drive and try to run the offense was fun."
The evening show drew an attendance of 20,782, setting a Denver Broncos all-time record for practice attendance.
