Charles Tillman to row across Lake Michigan

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 11: Charles Tillman #33 of the Chicago Bears moves to his position against the Houston Texans at Soldier Field on November 11, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. The Texans defeated the Bears 13-6. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 11: Charles Tillman #33 of the Chicago Bears moves to his position against the Houston Texans at Soldier Field on November 11, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. The Texans defeated the Bears 13-6. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Charles Tillman is going to raise money, and it’s awesome how he is going to do it.

Charles Tillman is going to raise money for pediatric cancer research. It would be great if he had a little bowling tournament or even just had a social media rally for donations, but that’s not how Charles Tillman rolls.

Tillman will be rowing across Lake Michigan as part of “Row 4 Kids.” Tillman’s own Cornerstone Foundation is helping with the event.

Rowing across Lake Michigan would be one thing, but Tillman isn’t stopping there. He’s building his own boat to do it. Once Tillman has created a seaworthy craft, he will be jumping in it and rowing 118 miles across the large freshwater lake.

There are a few issues with Tillman’s plan. First of all, he’s never built a boat. But even if you’ve never built a boat, as long as Tillman has some experience as a craftsman he could probably figure it out, but, as it turns out, Tillman hasn’t built anything ever.

So that’s a hurdle Tillman must clear and not exactly a small one.

Once the boat is finished, Tillman will have to figure out how to row. That’s right, Peanut has no experience as a rower. So if you are going to go all in, go big in Tillman’s case.

Finally, once Tillman has built his boat and learned how to row it, he will have to learn how to get over his crippling fear of open waters. Tillman says he’s okay in a pool, but the open waters of a giant lake like that will definitely give him some issues.

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Tillman also said he’s afraid of sharks, although hopefully in Lake Michigan he shouldn’t have that problem, but don’t tell Peanut that.

Tillman told the Chicago Tribune, “I think a shark is in everything. I could swim in a pool and I would think a shark is in it. I’m a huge ‘Shark Week’ fanatic. The worst thing I’ve ever seen on ‘Shark Week’ was (that) a bull shark could live in fresh water. That rocked my world. So any lake, any pond, I will argue you till you’re blue in the face. I know there’s a bull shark in there.”

Tillman’s efforts to raise money for pediatric cancer research and raise awareness is fantastic. Chicago Bears’ fans have grown accustomed to seeing Peanut Tillman do these type of things with his time, it’s just who he is.

Tillman has plenty of concerns about his trip, but what if he finds out his boat isn’t seaworthy when he’s halfway across Lake Michigan?

“We’ve got life preservers.”

Looks like he’s got it all covered.

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