Eventually, with help from ESPN and a disastrous trade to the Jets, Tebow’s messianic melange of faith, football and fame mushroomed into a nauseating, ratings-driven phenomenon so huge, all-consuming and annoying that it actually became taboo to even mention his name for no other reason than, well, we had already talked about him too much. “This league has never seen something like Tebow,” says Jon Kitna, a devout outspoken Christian whose 15-year career as an NFL quarterback ended after the 2011 season. “He’s someone with such a passion for this position, with a rock-star following, who causes so many polarizing views, in and out of football.”

In late April, Tebow was cut by the Jets and seemingly cast out of the NFL at age 25. Yet that didn’t stop Forbes from naming him America’s most influential athlete. About 18 months after taking Sundays by storm, Tebowmania had turned on its namesake and morphed him into the NFL’s version of Kim Kardashian: over­exposed, divisive … and more popular than ever. It seemed only fitting that Tebow’s first public appearance after getting pink-slipped was on an episode of All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.

Even now, after Tebow cleared waivers unclaimed and with members of his camp privately admitting that his NFL run is probably over, the football world remains as divided as ever over him. It’s nearly impossible to find a teammate who will say anything bad about Tebow as a person — or a scout who will say anything good about him as a player. But the sports masses mostly side with the NFL personnel people. It’s embarrassing and exhausting to discuss him, which makes it official: Tim Tebow has jumped the shark.