Tim Tebow had a spectacularly bad season last year, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The young quarterback, who has just as many detractors as he does fans, was expected to do great things once he was traded from the Broncos to the Jets. But there was one major problem: the team already had a star quarterback, Mark Sanchez, and Tebow hardly got any time on the field to strut his stuff. Despite coach Rex Ryan’s glowing reviews of Tebow and his ability, it seemed his career with the Jets stalled at the gate. Now, he’s been released, and rumors are floating around the web that he’s being blackballed because of all the media hype surrounding him.

“He seems like a great guy to have on a team, and I’d be tempted to bring him in as our backup,” one NFC head coach reportedly said. “But it’s just not worth dealing with all the stuff that comes with it.”

Because of Tebow’s innate likability, his handsome visage, and the Christian values that include running an organization to help children, he’s garnered a media following like nothing anyone in the NFL has ever seen. His fans are almost in cult status. Yet it’s hard to figure out whether they love him so much because of his talent, or because of everything else.

“The only place that Tebow hasn’t succeeded is in New York, where he couldn’t get off the bench. He may have seen the field more, if, dressed in a cheerleading outfit, he starred as the caveman in a GEICO commercial. The contempt toward all things Tebow was so over the top that it even had Alec Baldwin showing pity – “the only thing more imaginary than Manti Te’o’s girlfriend is the Jets offensive package for Tebow,” says writer John Kirkwood.

For now, it’s hard to say what his immediate future holds. While the media circus isn’t his fault, it’s not going to help him gain a foothold with another team anytime soon.