Tim Tebow visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday to testify about fighting human trafficking and tackling child sex abuse, urging listeners actions count more than words.
The former NFL quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner is the founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting at-risk children.
“To sum it up, we strive to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves,” Tebow said, the Hill reports.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance held the D.C. hearing in an effort to shine a light on the apparent increase of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) being distributed online.
During his opening remarks, the 36-year-old choked up while reading a letter written by a young girl while she was being held captive, raped nearly nightly for seven years, where she begged for help.
Witnesses John Madsen, Jim Cole, retired Homeland Security Investigations supervisor, Tim Tebow, Founder, Tim Tebow Foundation, and Camille Cooper, Vice President of Anti Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation, Tim Tebow Foundation say the pledge of allegiance before testifying before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance on Capitol Hill on March, 6 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty)
“Rescue me. Help me. Monsters are chasing. Can’t you see? Monsters are whispering. Can’t you hear? Monsters are shouting you are nothing. Can’t you feel my pain?” Tebow read.
Tebow encouraged lawmakers to support and pass a bill that would create and fund a rescue team tasked with identifying and rescuing children who are being sexually abused and exploited. He pressured lawmakers to take immediate action.
“But if all we do today is speak, all I do is speak, I also missed the mark. We have to do more than just talk about it. We have to act on it and be about it,” Tebow said.
.@TimTebow delivers his opening statement at a House hearing on Combating Child Sexual Abuse Material.
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 6, 2024
"We have to do more than just talk about it. We have to act on it and be about it."
Full video here: https://t.co/sK5jlZSNv2 pic.twitter.com/xw63hfmkfG
Tebow continued, explaining the goal of the bill is to build a “rescue team” of adequate size and manpower to meet the national challenge, as well as deliver the training and technology to help, TMX Sports reports.
The Hill report noted Tebow was not alone in sharing his concerns.
He was joined by other witnesses, including a Vice President at the Tim Tebow Foundation and a former Homeland Security Investigations supervisor.