Mendenhall's tweets draw criticism

Running back questions events of 9/11 and expresses sympathy for bin Laden

May 03, 2011|By Dan Pompei, Tribune reporter
  • Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall at Super Bowl XLV media day.
Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall at Super Bowl XLV media day. (Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE, US PRESSWIRE)

Rashard Mendenhall is not the kind of running back who is timid about hitting the hole.

He is also apparently not timid about hitting the "tweet" button.

Mendenhall, who went to Niles West High School and the University of Illinois, ignited a Twitter controversy by questioning the events of 9/11 and expressing sympathy for Osama bin Laden.

His first tweet on the subject read, "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 ... "

Then he retweeted a comment that read: "I'm not convinced he was even behind the attacks we have really seen no evidence to prove it other than the gov telling us"

Then Mendenhall tweeted: "We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style." Mendenhall later deleted this tweet.

His original tweet thread continued with, "I believe in God. I believe we're ALL his children. And I believe HE is the ONE and ONLY judge."


Mendenhall's tweets have drawn criticism. Steelers president Art Rooney issued this statement: "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."

On his Twitter page, Mendenhall identifies himself as a "conversationalist and professional athlete."

This was not the first time he has stirred a Twitter pot. In March, he tweeted that he agreed with Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's view that the NFL is similar to slavery.

His tweet on that topic: "@AdrianPeterson is correct in his analogy of this game. It is a lot deeper than most people understand. Anyone with knowledge of the slave trade and the NFL could say that these two parallel each other."

Twitter @danpompei