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Tim Tebow prays for dying man on plane, but is then criticized for 'getting in the way'

Former NFL star Tim Tebow prayed for a man whose pulse stopped due to heart problem while onboard a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to Phoenix, and now people are criticizing him for it.

The account was shared by a fellow passenger Richard Gotti on Facebook, and the story quickly went viral.

According to Gotti, the man fell unconscious. As airline crew and other people responded to the medical emergency, he realized the man's pulse had stopped.

New England Patriots quarterback Tim Tebow warms up before facing the New York Giants in their NFL preseason game in Foxborough, Massachusetts. August 29, 2013. | Reuters/Dominick Reuter

In the middle of all the activity, he saw Tebow walk toward the man and offered comfort to his family members, who were already crying. Tebow then prayed for the man, leading "the entire section of the plane" in prayer for his healing.

As the plane landed, the crew who had been tending to the man got a pulse for the first time.

Tebow reportedly stayed with the man's wife, helped with their baggages and waited with her at the hospital. He was with her when the doctors gave the sad news that her husband had died from heart attack.

"Thank God that we still have people of faith who in times of difficulty look to the Lord!" Gotti said on Facebook.

However, other people don't share the same sentiment, with some even saying Tebow only got in the way of the medical personnel who were trying to revive the man's pulse.

"I think I'm going to throw up," one person commented online, according to Orlando Sentinel.

"Tim Tebow was getting in the way while trying to be a missionary on a plane? What a putz!" another one said, according to the same report.

Other people said Tebow was only after the publicity, while others said he should have gotten out of the way and let "modern medicine" deal with the sick person.

"Why is this even a story?" another one said. The post has been shared more than 19,000 times on Facebook.

Although Tebow's representatives have confirmed the incident, Tebow himself has not commented on the story.

Delta spokesman Brian Kruse thanked the flight crew and the passengers who helped during the medical emergency.

"We can't say enough about the Delta professionals who care for our customers every day and we are grateful to our customers who are so often quick to extend kindness and care to one another," Kruse said, according to AJC.