Russia: Tim Tebow Becoming An Import?

Tim Tebow, the former quarterback of the New England Patriots who became a free agent on Aug. 31, may play several games in the Russian A...

Tim Tebow, the former quarterback of the New England Patriots who became a free agent on Aug. 31, may play several games in the Russian American Football Championships. 

On Sept. 3, the webpage of the Moscow football team the Black Storm posted news on the popular Russian social network VKontakte that the club’s owner was holding talks with the American athlete. So far, they have discussed Tebow playing in two exhibition matches for the Black Storm, although this fact has not been officially confirmed.

The Russian American Football Championships have been held annually since 2002, though the story of American football’s development in Russia began back in the perestroika years. The first team, the Federaly (Federals), was founded in the town of Ozersk (Chelyabinsk Oblast), where a local hockey coach, Alexander Kovrigin, trained the first Soviet football players in the American version of the game. In those days, no suitable equipment was available in the Soviet Union, so they used hockey gear and motorcycle helmets. In 1987, the Federaly won the first American Football Championships in the Soviet Union.

The Russian adult national team never achieved any serious successes, while the country’s junior team became European Champions in 2002.

Source: Russia Beyond The Headlines