Elway, who has long denied he had anything against Tebow personally, will also offer an apology during the interview scheduled to be taped Monday at his home in Denver, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no authorization to speak publicly on the matter.

While not directly saying he would confess or apologize, Elway sent a text message to The Associated Press early Saturday that said: "I told her (Winfrey) to go wherever she wants and I'll answer the questions directly, honestly and candidly. I was jealous of the guy. He was too nice. That's all I can say."

The 52-year-old Elway, who singlehandedly ended Tebow mania in the Mile High City, has not spoken publicly about fan suspicion that cast him as the jealous leader with a secular world view, the belief in which made having the charismatic Christian as his star quarterback untenable.

The signing of Peyton Manning, he of happy feet and poor decision-making, led to the Broncos early exit from the playoffs Saturday night.

Several outlets had reported that Elway was considering a confession. The interview will be broadcast Thursday on the Oprah Winfrey Network and oprah.com.

A confession would come at a time when Elway is facing the prospect of taking accountability for a team with a 20 million dollar aging Quarterback who loses his steel in the clutch.