One professor doesn’t even accept Duke football‘s largest victory in program history as a justification for late homework submissions. Riley Leonard, the Duke quarterback, assisted in leading the Blue Devils to an unexpected victory over No. 9 Clemson on Monday night, but he needed more time for his academic work.
But his professor was having none of it. He completed 17 of his 33 passes for 175 passing yards while also running for 98 yards, including a touchdown run of 44 yards in the third quarter that gave Duke the lead. Leonard’s main struggle, meanwhile, was doing his schoolwork on time rather than on the pitch.
Leonard begged Professor Taylor to extend his deadline in a video that was uploaded on X, formerly Twitter, by the ACC Digital Network.
Leonard said,
“Professor Taylor, if you’re seeing this, please let me turn in my homework late because it’s due tonight I think at 12, so it may already be 12,”
Dear Professor Taylor,
Please excuse @rileyleonard13_, he was busy becoming a LEGEND! 😈
Sincerely, @DukeFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/bOzb6GsXup
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 5, 2023
The University were quick to give a cheeky reply to the young superstar
Sorry, Professor Taylor says no special treatment for quarterbacks 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/49pHh8KPZY
— Duke University (@DukeU) September 5, 2023
Professor’s Cheeky reply to Riley Leonard
Well, Professor Taylor said, and despite his joy at the victory, he wasn’t exempting himself from the assignments.
Professor Taylor of Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy responded with a funny retort that dismissed the quarterback’s appeal and even hinted that some of his teammates might have wondered why he hadn’t completed the task before the crucial game.
In a video posted to Duke University’s social media handle , Professor said
“Hey Riley, great game last night man,” “It was so exciting. Congratulations to you and all your teammates. But you know, [Duke defensive end] Wesley Williams and the other linemen who are in the class, they said they prepared ahead and did it ahead of time. So why didn’t the quarterback? “So, no way, man. No extension.”
Duke will resume its regular schedule with Saturday games starting the next week, but Leonard, a public policy major, might want to make preparations the next time the Blue Devils play on a day when a project is due.
Leonard was named Academic All-ACC last year.