Former football star Tim Tebow’s announcement that he’s hitting the brakes on his relationship with Christian wealth-building seminar Life Surge is getting pushback from fans who say Tebow knew nothing of its controversies.
But Tebow was warned more than a year ago by Roys Report (RR), which sent his team a detailed list of questions about the seminar. He has been a headliner for the seminar dozens of times in recent years.
Not until Sept. 25, the day after the podcast Pablo Torres Finds Out (PTFO) and magazine Mother Jones released a monthslong investigation into several allegations, did Tebow break ranks.
And that was only to make a vague announcement.
“The allegations are extremely, extremely serious,” Tebow told reporters. “We’re having our team do an investigation but also pausing our relationship until we can learn more about the facts.”
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When asked if he was aware of the controversies prior to the investigation, Tebow only said he was “caught off guard with some of it,” referring to the Torres podcast.
He didn’t mention RR, which published a lengthy investigation about Life Surge on Oct. 23, 2025, nearly a year before the podcast and magazine reports.
Tebow’s exit has caused a small tsunami of other Christian celebrities to sever ties with the business. Pastor Craig Groeschel of the Edmond, Oklahoma-based Life.Church and Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, both speakers with Life Surge, have also departed, according to Religion News Service.
Tebow’s public relations team has long been aware of many issues surrounding Life Surge. RR contacted Tebow’s team through Instagram on July 29, 2025, and was then told to send all media questions to a specific PR email address. RR did so that same day but never received a response.
Later, Life Surge’s PR team told RR that Tebow’s team had alerted it about receiving that July 2025 email.
RR’s investigation was based on reports that the event is a “bait and switch” operation. It draws in crowds with celebrity Christian speakers but then uses sales tactics, critics say, to pressure attendees into signing up for high-price financial classes.
The email from RR to Tebow’s team contained several questions:
- How did (Tebow) get connected with Life Surge?
- What is his involvement in the event beyond speaking? Is he aware of the financial classes/programs Life Surge encourages attendees to take?
- Why is he comfortable being associated with this event?
- What is his response to attendees who felt drawn to the event by the speaker lineup, only to later find themselves in great financial difficulty because of programs they felt spiritually pressured to sign up for?
- What is his fee for appearing at this event?
Mother Jones estimated that based on an estimate of $100,000 per appearance for the years 2024-26, Tebow could be bringing in anywhere from $2 million to $4 million from Life Surge.
RR’s investigation featured interviews with Life Surge attendees who said they lost significant sums of money after signing up for expensive financial training programs after attending the event.
One attendee described the experience to RR as “manipulative,” with trusted Christian celebrities drawing crowds to an event that became “one big sales funnel” for programs and classes.
RR was not the first to report on the many concerns being voiced about Life Surge, but it was the first to report on some of the allegations. The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Tampa Bay Times had also reported on either the seminar or its CEO and founder, Joe Johnson.
RR contacted Tebow’s PR team again Sept. 28 for comment and to ask whether it ever presented the original questions to Tebow. It did not send a response before time of publication.
Life Surge posted a statement on its website in response to the PTFO podcast and Mother Jones coverage.
“Life Surge strongly disagrees with the characterization of our company presented in recent reporting,” it states. “We will not apologize for who we are, what we believe, or the work we do.”
It also stated that the company’s respect for Tebow “has not changed.”
“Tim has made the decision to pause his relationship with Life Surge while his team reviews the allegations and gathers additional facts,” the company stated. “We respect that this is his decision to make.”
Ann Marie Shambaugh has reported as a print journalist in multiple states, including currently in Carmel, Indiana.
8 Responses
What is the source/evidence for the assertion that Tebow receives $100,000 per appearance?
Tebows PR team knew about the Life surge allegation since at least 2025. I cry shenanigans.
Tebow must’ve known about it since at least 2023. It’s hard for me to believe that he would just sign onto life surge without knowing what they were doing and selling classes and courses, some of which could be very expensive according to News reports I’ve read, All with the singular goal of creating a brand new prosperity gospel for a brand new generation. Give us your money, and will help you get even more money.
if Tebow didn’t know about it, then he must have wanted very badly not to know. He lent his name and his fame to the game.
And I will say this: Jesus said something about rich men, sewing implements, and desert quadrupeds. My kingdom is not of this world, but for the low, low price of your life savings, your kingdom will be.
Have you reached out to Natalie Grant or Lisa Turkehurst with the same questions about their relationship with Life Surge?
Good question, I had never heard of this outfit till the main local paper, the Boston Globe, recently reported that Mazzula had bailed on the conference. It had never crossed my mind that he was any sort of Christian, and I have long gotten the impression he is some sort of vaguely new agey chap, myself. This is obviously a prosperity gospel grift. Who or what actually owns it, and to what, if anything, is it at all accountable?
I attended a LS event and didn’t purchase any of the training packages. During my business career, I have attended multiple Christian themed and non-religious events and have purchased Tony Robbins Mastermind courses, John Maxwell Coaching, and many other business and personal development systems, investing time and tens of thousands. The MJ article neglected to report that Life Surge refunds courses no questions asked. The MJ article neglected to report how many thousands of people have come to faith in Jesus at Life Surge events. The MJ article highlighted one person who felt pressured to purchase — and they were refunded their money.
I attended a LS event and didn’t purchase a training package. However, during my 40+ career I have attended both Christian themed and non-religious business, sales, and personal development events and have purchased Tony Robbins mastermind packages, John Maxwell coaching, and many other types of coaching program, at a combined cost +/- $100k. Many of my friends do the same. The MJ article neglected to report that the lady who felt pressured to purchase a LS package was refunded her money, and that LS refunds customers no questions asked. The MJ article neglected to report how many thousands of people enjoy attending and many come forward for the altar call to receive Jesus in their hearts.
Remember the man who asked Jesus to tell his brother to give him a share of his brother’s inheritance. That is a reasonable request, but Jesus would not go there. So what would he think of his church getting involved in investment counseling if he did not even want to judge what was right in a family argument over an inheritance.
Jesus said he came to save souls. He did not come to teach us how to get more money.
I wonder if Marta and Barbie Cruz in these comments are the same person or a poor attempt by 2 people to spam affirming comments. 🫠
Reminds me of scripts that you can just copy and paste to send to your state representatives etc, with a little moving around of the same words.