Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall sparked a firestorm on X on Monday, posting a comment about how “average white guys” shouldn’t be commenting about football. He also called for a segregated Pro Bowl.
Mendenhall’s post garnered over 28 million views in under 12 hours and nearly 20,000 replies and re-posts, many of which were negative.
Was Rashard Mendenhall Joking?
Many suggested Mendenhall might have been joking and had some fun imagining the matchups in the “All-White vs. All-Black” Bowl. Retired defensive end J.J. Watt, for example, thought he saw one matchup in particular that would be a challenge for his side.
But it soon became clear that Mendenhall was not joking. Later, he posted a follow-up on X reiterating his disdain for fans and others who trash-talk the game.
Fumble In Super Bowl XLV
No matter what the intent of the posts, one fact was clear: Mendenhall thinks pretty highly of himself and his abilities on the field. This of course prompted many on X to remind Mendenhall of his shortcomings, including conservative pundit Matt Walsh.
Hundreds of users posted similar comments. While it might not be entirely fair to remind Mendenhall of what is assuredly one of his career lowlights, he was pretty much asking for it.
Others took time to remind Mendenhall about who is arguably considered the best running back in the NFL in 2023.
Enter Jason Whitlock
The most explosive part of the day happened when Jason Whitlock found the time to comment on Rashard Mendenhall’s post. The former Ball State offensive lineman and current Blaze TV host laid into Mendenhall with a post aimed at the former Pittsburgh Steeler’s ignorance and “race hustling.” (We have linked to the post instead of embedding it for potentially offensive language).
Mendenhall fired back with a selfie video reply to Whitlock where he criticized the former ESPN personality for posting a picture of his wife. (Again, linked, not embedded, for language).
Whitlock, whose show is aptly named “Fearless,” did not back down. He reminded Mendenhall that he is a race hustler in the mode of Colin Kaepernick.
A History Of Controversy
It seems clear Rashard Mendenhall was serious with his original post. While calls for segregation in sports in 2023 seem beyond the pale, it is not surprising considering his history of making controversial statements.
Perhaps most controversial were his comments that Americans should not have celebrated the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and questioning whether Bin Laden was even involved in 9/11. (We checked … he was. He even said so.)
In any event, there is a saying on X going back to when it was called Twitter. “Every day, someone becomes the entire focus of Twitter for the day. Your goal is to not be that person.”
Today, Rashard Mendenhall became that person.
