Tebow steps back from Christian finance firm facing predatory sales claims

Tim Tebow has said he is stepping back from his relationship with Life Surge, the Christian organisation facing allegations that it used predatory sales methods to target followers through their faith and their financial vulnerability, according to Guardian US Sport.

The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, now working as a college football analyst for ESPN's SEC Nation, described the claims against the group as "extremely serious".

Life Surge has been accused of pushing courses priced as high as $40,000 on those who attended its events, according to the reporting.

Tebow said his own team is now carrying out an internal investigation into the matter, rather than dismissing the allegations outright.

He chose to address the issue in person rather than through a written statement, speaking to reporters on a college campus.

The comments came in the build-up to Saturday's Southeastern Conference fixture between Mississippi and Florida at Florida Field, where Tebow was working in his broadcasting capacity for SEC Nation.

That timing placed the story squarely alongside his football duties, with Tebow fielding questions on the sidelines of the sport that made him a household name before turning to the separate controversy surrounding the wealth-focused organisation.

Tebow's phrase "pausing his relationship" leaves open whether the split from Life Surge is temporary or permanent, pending the outcome of the internal review he has ordered.

No further detail on the scope or timeline of that investigation was given in his remarks on campus.

For now, the focus for Tebow returns to his on-air role, with SEC Nation's coverage continuing around Saturday's Mississippi-Florida meeting at Florida Field, even as questions over his ties to Life Surge remain unresolved.