It seems like we can't go more than a week without a former Pittsburgh Steelers player making headlines for their comments on social media. Just one day after Pittsburgh's Week 15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Rashard Mendenhall is receiving backlash for his recent post on 'X'.
Mendenhall shared a very controversial post that appears to draw a racial divide, and fans aren't having it.
I’m sick of average white guys commenting on football. Y’all not even good at football. Can we please replace the Pro Bowl with an All-Black vs. All-White bowl so these cats can stop trying to teach me who’s good at football. I’m better than ur goat.
— Rashard Mendenhall (@R_Mendenhall) December 18, 2023
Other 'X' users were quick to chime in following Mendenhall's comments, including Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer and Locked On Steelers podcast host, Christopher Carter:
I said it years ago, Rashard Mendenhall needs mental help, and a lot of it. Dude has been a head case for a while. Bigotry like that deserves no grace.
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) December 18, 2023
This is hardly the first time Rashard Mendenhall has made headlines for controversial comments on social media. In 2011, the former Steelers running back apparently criticized Twitter users for celebrating the death of terrorist leader, Osama Bin Laden.
Mendenhall is free to voice his opinions on social media platforms, but his comments are unsurprisingly being met with backlash. Much like Antonio Brown, he can't seem to stay out of his own way at times.
Back in January, Mendenhall made headlines for calling out former quarterback and teammate, Ben Roethlisberger -- questioning his leadership and accusing him of 'hiding in the shadows.' Based on his history, Mendenhall's latest comments aren't all that surprising.
Mendenhall was the 23rd overall pick by the Steelers back in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played five seasons in Pittsburgh before falling out of favor. Mendenhall earned back-to-back seasons of over 1,100 yards and at least 7 rushing touchdowns in 2009 and 2010. He came up just short of 1,000 yards in 2011 before injuries claimed his season after just 6 games in 2012.
In 2013, Mendenhall signed with the Arizona Cardinals where he played in and started 15 games -- managing just 3.2 yards per carry, per Pro Football Reference. The running back retired following his age-26 season in 2013.