Florida QB Tebow Has Shoulder Surgery

Florida Gators’ QB Tim Tebow is such a fierce competitor on the field and such a class individual off of it, it’s almost heresy to suggest that his decision to return to Gainesville for his senior season could have possibly been motivated by anything other than his commitment to the school.  Less than 24 hours after he announced his decision to forego the NFL draft and return for his last season of college eligibility, it was also reported that Tebow would undergo shoulder surgery on his non-throwing arm.  Could it have been a case that the fear of being “damaged goods” and hurting his draft position had as much to do with his decision as his loftier motivations?
In any case, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Monday morning to remove a bone spur and chronic inflammation.  He’s not the only Florida Gator scheduled to go under the knife during the off season-- Florida coach Urban Meyer said Sunday that wide receiver Louis Murphy and defensive lineman Carl Johnson were scheduled to have knee surgery, though he gave no further details on the severity of the injury or the procedures they’ll undergo.
Tebow has dealt with shoulder pain for much of the past two seasons.  He originally injured the shoulder during his Heisman Trophy winning 2007 season, and re-aggravated it in Florida’s game against Hawaii this season.  The prognosis is for an almost certain complete recovery, with Tebow scheduled to begin throwing within the next month. His full recovery by the time spring practice begins is highly likely.
Gators’ team physician Dr. Pete Indelicato gave his report via a press release:
 "The surgery went well.  He should be able to begin throwing in the next three to four weeks and a full recovery is expected."
Tebow has an excellent opportunity to match Archie Griffin’s accomplishment and become only the second player to ever win two Heisman trophies (Griffin won his in 1974 and 1975).  He also has the opportunity to join Notre Dame’s John Lujak and Leon Hart as the only players to ever win a Heisman Trophy and three college football national championships.