WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Former NFL quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow visited Capitol Hill Wednesday to testify about fighting human trafficking and combatting child exploitation.
Tebow is the founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, which is an organization that works to protect vulnerable children.
“To sum it up, we strive to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves,” Tebow said.
The hearing, held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, focused on the apparent increase of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) being distributed online.
During his opening remarks, Tebow choked up while reading a letter sent to him from a victim of sexual abuse.
“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.
He 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.
Tebow was joined by other witnesses, including a Vice President at the Tim Tebow Foundation and a former Homeland Security Investigations supervisor.