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Quinn Says He's Sorry For Tebow Comments

DENVER (CBS Denver) – Brady Quinn has apologized to Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow for "completely inaccurate" comments in a GQ article that has the former backup quarterback openly questioning Tebow's play and criticizing his open displays of religion.

In an interview published for next month's GQ, Quinn told the magazine that the Broncos fans were the driving force behind Tebow's emergence as the team's starting quarterback, this despite Quinn being second-string behind Kyle Orton, the starter at the time.

"Early in the season, there was a game when Kyle (Orton) got hurt and the coaches were calling for me to go in, but Kyle got up and finished the game out. So I was the second-string guy," Quinn told GQ. "Then, a few weeks later, they decided to put Tim in. I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that. Just 'cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him."

He added:  "No, I didn't have any billboards. That would have been nice."

Quinn's sentiments in the article, which question John Elway and John Fox's decision to go to Tebow, are the first to come from within the Denver organization. Throughout the past season, opponents and former players had been critical of how much Tebow's success related to Denver's run to a playoff berth. And when it came to Tebow's displays of religion, including the now-famous "Tebowing," Quinn hinted that a lot of the on-the-field praying wasn't necessarily humble to him.

"When I get that opportunity, I'll continue to lead not necessarily by trying to get in front of the camera and praying but by praying with my teammates, you know?" Quinn said.

But Quinn has refuted the published comments, taking to Twitter to express his frustration for how the story turned out and to apologize to anyone he may have offended, including Tebow.

"The comments attributed to me in a recent magazine article are in NO WAY reflective of my opinion of Tim and the Broncos," he tweeted. "Tim deserves a lot of credit for our success and I'm happy for him and what he accomplished. Most importantly, he is a great teammate."

Quinn went on to express his disappointment with Yahoo! Sports NFL columnist Michael Silver, who wrote the article for GQ, calling the story a "completely inaccurate portrayal of my comments."

"I apologize to anyone who feels I was trying to take anything away from our team's or Tim's success this season," he tweeted.

Quinn is an unrestricted free agent. While it is unclear whether the former first-round pick will return, the Broncos do plan to bring in two new quarterbacks to backup Tebow heading into next season.

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