Mendenhall Clarifies Tweets With Blog

May 4, 2011 2:17 PM

(Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall was the subject of controversy over remarks made on his Twitter account Monday.

On Wednesday, Mendenhall set up a blog to better explain what he was trying to say on Twitter.

The title of the post is “Clarification.”

In it, Mendenhall said he does not support Osama bin Laden and is not against the United States.

He also said he understands how his comments may have inflicted pain on those affected by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

“I understand how devastating 9/11 was to this country and to the people whose families were affected. Not just in the US, but families all over the world who had relatives in the World Trade Centers. My heart goes out to the troops who fight for our freedoms everyday, not being certain if they will have the opportunity to return home, and the families who watch their loved ones bravely go off to war.”

One of the tweets that received some of the harshest criticism said, ”What kind of person celebrates death? It’s amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We’ve only heard one side…”

In his blog post, Mendenhall offers an explanation of the tweet:

“This controversial statement was something I said in response to the amount of joy I saw in the event of a murder. I don’t believe that this is an issue of politics or American pride; but one of religion, morality, and human ethics.”

He maintains throughout the post that his comments were not meant to cause harm. They were made in an attempt to stir up conversation about the topic and to make people think about their actions.

“Nothing I said was meant to stir up controversy. It was my way to generate conversation. In looking at my timeline in its entirety, everything that I’ve said is with the intent of expressing a wide array of ideas and generating open and honest discussions, something I believe we as American citizens should be able to do.”

On Tuesday, Steelers President Art Rooney II issued a statement regarding the tweets.

“I have not spoken with Rashard so it is hard to explain or even comprehend what he meant with his recent Twitter comments. The entire Steelers’ organization is very proud of the job our military personnel have done and we can only hope this leads to our troops coming home soon.”

Kelley

Reshard said what it should have been left up to God to pass judgement against bin Laden, our guys just arranged that meeting.
Disgusted

Wow…. Wonder why his tweets weren’t as well written as these responses… Great PR work!!!

Salvatore Aversa

Or it could be that tweets have to be compressed down to 140 characters?
Tank

Now dounbt that the Steelers PR and NFL’s PR Dept wrote that!
Hes an idiot!

Cindy Brady

takes one to know one.

Ramoona Barnhart

do not believe you for one moment. shame shame on you for making remarks like that. hope they trade you off better off without someone like you on twith the steelers. Ramona
Can the Tweets

What a dummy. Stick to football. Can the “Tweets.”
David

Once you fumble, you don’t get the ball back. The stats stay with you and the consequences remain..”Does that ring a bell RM?
Janice Lender

Shame on you Mendenhall you don’t deserve to be an American or a Steeler
Alexis

It’s funny how we jump on a Steeler for VERBALLY expressing himself while we keep a 3 time rapist on the team….. Hmmmmmm wonder if this has anything to do with skin color???

L. Dishong

Alleged rapist; nothing was proven. There weren’t any charges in the 2nd instance because there was nothing to charge. Just like Ray Lewis being “charged” with homicide but never being “convicted.” No color issue here.
Hoss

Guilty until proven innocent in your world, right Alexis? How’s the weather up there in the land of the High and Mighty?

Russ

Why would he refer to Osama’s death as “murder?”

james j

Because that’s what he believes. He also doesn’t believe Usama had anything to do with the towers falling even though he released several video tapes claiming responsiblity for the attacks. “you”ve only heard one side” hope he’s traded or better yet never is given the opertunity to play again! I love Twitter because it gives us a chance to see what someone really thinks. He makes millions to play a game and thinks he has to show what a deep thinker he is.
Salvatore Aversa

Because it was. And to make matters worse, he was unarmed. It wasn’t justice, not in the sense of the word we have today. Maybe wild west justice. He should have been taken in, put on trial, and executed. Then he wouldn’t have been a martyr.

Tank

Salvatore!
Go straight to hell and have tea with UBL!
don

Salvatore
your comments make me sick
Salvatore Aversa

I’m going to repeat a comment I posted here before.

When places like Palestine and Libya were celebrating the attacks on us on 9/11, we called them horrible names. When Osama was killed, we looked exactly like that. Both are deplorable. I understand a feeling of relief, feeling like the world is a little bit safer with him gone. But celebrating? It reminds me of a quote:

I am in no way expressing sympathy for Osama. However, him being dead is not going to bring back the 3k people that he killed. And him being dead is not going to bring back to 100k+ men women and children in Iraq that we killed. There is nothing to celebrate here. Nobody wins in war.

“Joyfully celebrating the killing of a killer who joyfully celebrated killing carries an irony that I hope will not be lost on us. Are we learning anything, or simply spinning harder in the cycle of violence?” –Brian McLaren
Salvatore Aversa

Even Nazi’s were taken to trial, before they were executed.
Grunt

Salvatore; how many of those people murdered on 9/11 were armed or even given a chance. Do you have any idea of what these people went through before they died? You and your fellow muslim mendenhal should wise up.

John Williams

honestly it’s a matter and subject everybody voicing some opinion on…who cares?! America is so droned to what celebs/pro athletes say…it’s riduculous!! i dnt care, it doesnt offend me about HIS opinion and he has a point when it comes to morals and human ethics!! much love Mendenhall much love!! shaking my head
Stacey

I think what Rashard made a great and valid point. We are not on this earth to judge anyone. This is only up to God and the wicked will be punished for their actions during judgement day.

blahhh

So if someone rapes and murders your daughter or mother nothing should be done, we should just leave it up to God on judgment day. Yeah, that’s a “great and valid point”, until something happens to one of your loved ones.

Bill

I guess it’s true no matter how much money you make, you can not buy brains. stick to playing football STUPID!, leave world affairs and politics to to the people with IQ’s over 25
Rich

Hate is not eliminated by killing one’s enemies. We must remove it from our hearts.
Twitiot

When you fumble on a scoring drive during the super bowl, your a TWIT, if the NFL has a lockout he might have to cancel his phone service
Rick

So strange that after nearly 10 years since 911, some are soft to terrorists who killed thousands of innocent people on our soil. Sept. 12 2001 we would have supported flattening the whole mid east. Just saying…….

Pam

I still support flattening the entire middle east

T

There is no way he wrote that blog, wonder how much he had to pay his PR people to get him out of this one. I agree stick to things you can understand. if you don’t like this country I here there is a great Mansion in Abbottabad that just went on the market. I hope they trade you and the rapist
Freedom Fry

Rashard should have kept his mouth shut. He’s naive if he believes Wal-Mart-shopping Americans can approach much with an open mind in the first place. I’m glad Bin Laden is dead, but I’m just as glad RM got you thinking about things with more gravitas than football.
Bill

The only thing “RM” got anybody thinking about, is what and idoit he is, and an embarassment to the steelers and the city of pittsburghj.
Salvatore Aversa

I actually support Mendenhall with his comments. I think it’s sick to celebrate the death of anybody, even our enemy. When places like Palestine and Libya were celebrating the attacks on us on 9/11, we called them horrible names. When Osama was killed, we looked exactly like that. Both are deplorable. I understand a feeling of relief, feeling like the world is a little bit safer with him gone. But celebrating? It reminds me of a quote:

“Joyfully celebrating the killing of a killer who joyfully celebrated killing carries an irony that I hope will not be lost on us. Are we learning anything, or simply spinning harder in the cycle of violence?” –Brian McLaren

Tank

Salvatore!
Go to hell and have tea with UBL!
Dont let the door hit you in the ass as you leave America!
And take Stacey and RM with you.
The country woill be alot better off!

Salvatore Aversa

I am expressing no sympathy for Osama. However, him being dead is not going to bring back the 3k people that he killed. And him being dead is not going to bring back to 100k+ men women and children in Iraq that we killed. There is nothing to celebrate here. Nobody wins in war.
Stacey

Tank you can kiss my you know what. You are not a Christian as I can see from your comments. You will be in hell for sure with your actions. Don’t make me come looking for you.
Salvatore Aversa

Not to mention, Tank, that we even gave the Nazi’s a trial before we executed them all.
Salvatore Aversa

Stacey. I’m an atheist. However, I don’t think this is so much an idea of religion or not. It’s a humanity question. But, if you subscribe to a religion, that’s all the more reason NOT to cheer and celebrate a death.

Freedom Fry

Great comment, Salvatore. Many of us felt the same way. You obviously don’t shop at Wal-Mart.

Salvatore Aversa

Haha, no, I don’t.

Tank

I belive that we live in a great country where you can say anything you want and when ever you want!
Good men have died all ove rthis planet to fight to defend our Constitution and way of life and Freedom of speach!
I defend “Mendenhores’s” “right” to his beliefs!
That being said:
He’s an “IDIOT” a “FOOL” and I can’t wait until he’s boo’ed everytime he takes the field in Pitstburgh!!!!
There’s only one place for him now.
Ship him of to the land of other liberal wack jobs!!!
Can you say “Hello 49′rs”!!!
They’ll love his actr out there!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
God Bless ST6!

Freedom Fry

by calling him Mendenhore you dont really defend his beliefs or anything about him. You think you are so noble because you “say” he can say what he wants but the actions of the rest of your comment proves otherwise. Sadly you don’t understand that it is us who must tolerate you, Tank, and your ignorant grandstanding.

Tank

Bite me!
And while you are at it have your Momma Bite Me too!
There, do you respect my “right to free speach”?
Bit me Bite me Bite me!
Im sick and tired of Liberals who are desrtoying this country!
Again you and your Momma can Bite me.
Sorry Im not as smart as you; but BITE ME is the very best I can do.
Blame it on a poor public education!
Freedom Fry

Tank. I would love to bite you. You’re probably fat and delicious to eat all covered in barbecue sauce.

Tank, if you want to blame your lack of intelligence on your poor public education maybe you should support liberals who if nothing else want to better educate you and your dumb offspring. Please consider that its not liberals that are destroying this country. It’s not conservatives either. What is destroying this country is people like you, Tank, that have lowered your personal expectations and personal responsibility and instead blame those that havent done the same for your miserable existence.

What you should do, Tank, is rejoice that Bin Laden is dead, but do so humbly. That is what Mr Mendenhall so poorly attempted to get you and the rest of the unwashed to do.

LOL

Is there greater irony than someone misspelling “Freedom of Speach”. Just sayin, I hope he doesnt expect to be taken seriously.

Susan

Is Rashard Muslim? It might explain his thoughts and feelings. I think we put way to much weight on what celebs/athletes think or feel. I hope he appreciates the freedoms that our country allows. Free to tweet, free to think, free to play football and make millions……be very careful not to bite the hand that feeds you….not to insult the men that protect you…not to take your lifestyle for granted…..you better believe that OBL would have killed you Rashard if he had ever gotten the chance.
Chris

He certainly has the right of freedom of speech…a right that our service men fought for, and many lost lives for. Our rights continue to be challenged, therefore, we continue to fight to protect. rashard “dissed” our country, and the Rooneys need to “diss-miss” him from the team. maybe he needs to be picked up by a middle eastern team!

Peg

Chris? How, exactly, did he “diss” our country? He only asked how people could hate someone they’d never met. And it is true that even the hardest war criminals are given trials, not executed. I’m neither defending nor condemning what was done to OBL. I’m merely pointing out that Mendenhall didn’t ask or say anything that truly outrageous to get all of these childish posts I’ve been reading by so many people who are, by the way, still proclaiming this to be a free country while blasting him for exercising his right to free speech. But I really don’t see where he “dissed” our country. People need to put their emotions on the back burner and put their brains on the front burner. This is getting totally ridiculous

tocchet

liberals like this are destroying the usa. the steelers need to get rid of this piece of garbage.
WAKEUP STEELERS

REGGIE BUSH WILL BE A FREE AGENT SOON, ARE YOU LISTENING ROONEY? WE HAVE A MORON FOR A RUNNING BACK AND THE SECOND COMING OF NEIL O’DONNELL FOR A QUARTERBACK, WAKE UP ROONEYS.

Wakeup! Wakeup Steelers

Reggie Bush took money to play for USC. He’s a cheater, a liar, and a fraud. He admitted as much by giving back his Heisman trophy. You want him to be a Steeler? Open mouth, insert foot.

Stacey

I don’t support anything that Bin Laden did. I don’t believe in killing anyone and don’t think it was justified in him doing what he did. He will be punished in the right way.
Tank you can kiss my …………. you will have your day in front of God. You are sick and in humane!!!!!!!!!!! I will not tolerate people of your kind in this world…more or less you deserve punishment by death yourself.
Stacey

By the way I am not a Liberal Tank. I happen to be a southerner. I came from a family background of not liking anyone that is not of white race…..so don’t go there with me.