VIDEO: Matthew Stafford Admits Viral Math Prompt From Teammate TJ Lang Was All a Trick
By Nick Porr
NFL quarterbacks are some of the most intelligent athletes in sports. The position requires a deep knowledge for the game, and an ability to react to strategy on a moment to moment basis. Pro-Bowler Matthew Stafford has proven himself to have those skills in his 11 seasons with the Detroit Lions, but in late April, Stafford revealed he had fooled fans into thinking math was another one of his many talents.
Matthew Stafford said the math problem he solved with @TJLang70 was a trick. TJ texted him the answer.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) May 14, 2020
"I just read it off and sell it hard. I guess I deserve a Daytime Emmy." ? pic.twitter.com/LeX5iYlVci
On a Detroit Lions virtual draft show, Stafford was asked by teammate T.J. Lang what 9,758 x 618 was. Stafford responded to the impromptu question by seemingly doing the math in his head, and spitting out the correct answer.
Putting the MATH in Matthew pic.twitter.com/Pd1Elctauw
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) April 25, 2020
Stafford now admits that the math was all an act, and that Lang had texted him the answer beforehand. Fans were deceived by the bit, and the video went viral.
Now that Stafford has revealed the video to be fake, it shows off a different talent: his acting. Stafford absolutely nails the fake calculations, and doesn't break once while fooling viewers.
He might not be a talented mathematician, but Stafford should probably be considering acting as a fallback career after fooling Lions fans.