The NFL is generously stocked with forgiven felons, including millionaire wife beaters and dog killers. So how did a clean-living quarterback with deep commitments to charitable service and miraculous last-minute victories become the most controversial player in the league?

It's easy to see why legions of loyalists lavish love on 24-year-old Tim Tebow, who leads his underdog Denver Broncos in a crucial playoff game against the New England Patriots on Saturday night. Yet other fiercely focused fans feel no hesitation at expressing their contempt and loathing for a remarkable athlete whose behavior on field and off exemplifies the values of hard work, fearlessness and concern for the downtrodden.

Of course, much of the resentment centers on the young star's outspoken association with evangelical Christianity. He's the home-schooled son of Baptist missionaries, and his well-advertised habit of dropping to one knee and lowering his head in prayer has given rise to a convenient new word in the national vocabulary—"tebowing."

In response, "Saturday Night Live" featured a Dec. 18 skit with Jesus himself (played by Jason Sudeikis) urging Mr. Tebow to "take it down a notch." And certainly some of his admirers have run out of bounds with their messianic enthusiasms.