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As the Denver Broncos gear up for training camp, the rookies show up a few days before the vets for some crash-course training, but one player is conspicuously missing from the practice field: Tim Tebow.
The former University of Florida star quarterback is haggling for more money and is not yet on the field preparing for the 2010-11 season, according to The Denver Post.
“We went through 60 pages this morning in an installation meeting, and those pages are filled with information,” Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels told reporters yesterday, adding that the more time a young player spends at work, the better.
Despite Tebow’s reputation as a stand-up guy and a man of God, USA Today reports that he’s pressing the Broncos for more money than the Dallas Cowboys are paying Dez Bryant, the player taken just ahead of Tebow in the April NFL draft. Bryant was given an $11 million deal with more than $8 million guaranteed.
The Post points out the Broncos are confident Tebow will end up signing before the end of the weekend, but the pull for more money cuts into Tebow’s reputation as a team-first, high-character draft pick.
Fellow first-rounder Demaryius Thomas is also missing from the Broncos’ camp, holding out for a better contract, as well, with the Post reporting in a separate story that his deal is close to wrapping up.