Pittsburgh Mayor Tebows in Public to Pay Off Bet with Denver Mayor

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Pittsburgh Mayor's Office

While Steelers fans live out the five stages of grief after their team’s Sunday loss, NewsFeed is pleased to see that Pittsburgh’s mayor has a sense of humor about it. On Tuesday, Steel City mayor Luke Ravenstahl Tebowed to come clean on a bet he made with Denver’s mayor about the game’s outcome.

It was Tim Tebow’s stunning 80-yard touchdown pass in the first seconds of overtime that forced Ravenstahl to don a Broncos jersey and take a knee – though we suspect his prayer was not exactly one of thanksgiving. In fact, Ravenstahl hoped he’d never have to imitate the rival quarterback. “However, we’re good sports here in Pittsburgh, and I want to congratulate Denver on a great win,” he said before bowing down, elbow on knee, in front of Pittsburgh’s skyline Tuesday morning.

(READ: Tebowing Meme Goes from Field to Internet)

Mayor Ravenstahl made a public bet with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock over the phone as a bit of friendly jeering before Sunday’s AFC wild-card game. Ravenstahl agreed to sport Tebow’s #15 jersey and “tebow” in a public place in Pittsburgh if the Steelers lost. Had the Broncos been on the losing end, Hancock would have had to appear at a Denver event wearing a Steelers jersey and a “Terrible Towel,” the golden-colored rag that Steelers fans wave to rally their team. But there was no chance for a Steelers rally Sunday after Tebow’s booming pass to Demaryius Thomas put an end to the sudden-death overtime, with the Broncos clinching the wild-card spot 29-23.

The win may have been a long shot, but from the moment the two agreed on the bet Friday, Hancock seemed confident that Ravenstahl would be the one bowing down in the end. “We’re looking forward to seeing that photo of Mayor Ravenstahl ‘Tebowing’… say at Heinz Field?” Mayor Hancock joked just after the mayors finalized the terms of the bet.  While Tebowing in the Steelers’ house would be the equivalent of sacrilege to any self-respecting football fan, taking a knee in front of the entire skyline – and hence, everything Ravenstahl’s city stands for – seems somehow more humiliating.

READ: Tim Tebow’s 316 Passing Yards Evokes Biblical Number