Student Achievement

NFL Player Doesn’t Take Kindly to Homework Question

By Bryan Toporek — June 15, 2012 1 min read
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Note to any teachers creating mathematical word problems in the future: You might want to avoid crafting leading questions, unless you’re ready to deal with the wrath of someone much larger and scarier than you.

Charles Tillman, who plays cornerback for the Chicago Bears, was recently promoting his Cornerstone Foundation charity at a local running apparel store when a teenage girl asked for an autograph and presented him with a problem from her math homework, as first reported by the website Deadspin. She thought Tillman would be particularly well-equipped to answer the word problem, which read as follows:

The Packers play the Bears 4 times in two seasons. The Packers, being a much better team have an 80% chance of winning each game. What is the probability that the Bears win all four games? What is the probability that the Bears win at least one game?"

Tillman didn’t appear to appreciate the leading question, judging by his response, which he penned on the girl’s homework:

This is Charles 'Peanut' Tillman of the Chicago Bears and I'm shocked that you would have a problem like this for your students. The probability that the Bears would win in my opinion is 100%. Please do not and I repeat DO NOT send them home with math homework that is disrespectful to our team, city, and our beloved Chicago Bears. Your All Pro Corner Charles 'Peanut' Tillman 33 Geaux Bears P.S. Bear Down

The girl wrote on Reddit that Tillman’s response earned her a homework-free week from her teacher, who “could not stop laughing.”

As Yahoo! Sports notes, the Packers have beaten the Bears in seven of their last 10 match-ups, including the past four.

See the full note here, via Reddit:

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Schooled in Sports blog.