Rashard Mendenhall

Rashard Jamal Mendenhall (born June 19, 1987) is a former American football running back and current television writer[1] who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football at Illinois and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He won Super Bowl XLIII with the Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals, for whom he later played one season.

Rashard Mendenhall
Mendenhall with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009
No. 34, 28
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1987-06-19) June 19, 1987
Skokie, Illinois
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Skokie (IL) Niles West
College:Illinois
NFL Draft:2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:1,081
Rushing yards:4,236
Rushing touchdowns:37
Receptions:95
Receiving yards:795
Receiving touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Mendenhall attended Niles West High School and Lincoln Jr. High School in Skokie, Illinois. As a five-star prospect, he was also rated the best recruit in the state of Illinois by Scout.com.[2] He recorded 1,300 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore. As a junior, he rushed for 1,832 yards and 19 touchdowns, while averaging 11.6 yards per carry. In his last year, he averaged 9.1 yards per carry, rushing for 1,453 yards on 160 attempts and 14 touchdowns. Following his high school career, Mendenhall played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

College career

Mendenhall played for the University of Illinois football team. His first season was in 2005, during which he rushed for 218 yards on 48 carries, adding 82 yards receiving and two touchdowns. In 2006, Mendenhall nearly tripled his rushing total, gaining 640 yards and scoring five touchdowns. He added 164 yards receiving and a touchdown, with 12 receptions. Throughout his final season with the Illini, Mendenhall rushed for a then school record 1,681 yards and 17 touchdowns. Throughout the 13 game season, he also had 318 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 34 receptions. He majored in Sports Management.[3]

Mendenhall was on the cover of Sporting News' High School Football Magazine.[4] On April 24, 2008, Mendenhall made a guest appearance on The Best Damn Sports Show Period in a segment called Best Damn Rookie Hazing, along with former Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly.[5]

Statistics
Season Games Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Lng Yds ds Avg TD Lng
2005 10 48 218 4.5 0 18 13 82 6.3 2 16
2006 12 78 640 8.2 5 86 12 164 13.7 1 76
2007 13 262 1681 6.4 17 79 34 318 9.4 2 55
NCAA Career Totals 35 388 2539 6.5 22 86 59 564 9.6 5 76

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 10 in
(1.78 m)		 225 lb
(102 kg)		 4.41 s1.53 s2.56 s4.18 s33.5 in
(0.85 m)		9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		26 reps
All values from NFL Combine

Pittsburgh Steelers (2008–2012)

Mendenhall was drafted 23rd overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2008 NFL Draft.[6] Prior to his rookie season Mendenhall was ranked by ESPN as the 30th best running back in the league.[7] On July 25, 2008, Mendenhall agreed to a five-year contract worth US$12.55 million with the Steelers,[8] of which $7.125 million is guaranteed.[9] He was expected to be a complement to Pro-Bowl running back Willie Parker,[10] in addition to returning kicks.[9] Mendenhall fumbled twice in Pittsburgh's third pre-season game against Minnesota; they were attributed to adjusting to the faster pace of the NFL.[11] Days after the game, teammate Hines Ward placed a ball in Mendenhall's locker with a note stating, "Take Mendenhall's ball away and get $100 from him."[12] Mendenhall was required to carry the ball everywhere he went until the team's next game.[12] Mendenhall fumbled once more in the Steelers final pre-season game,[13][14] but worked with running backs coach Kirby Wilson to fix the problem.[15]

Mendenhall entered the 2008 regular season as the Steelers' youngest player.[16] He took on return duties in addition to his running back position.[16] Entering the fourth week of the 2008 season, Willie Parker suffered an injury which allowed Mendenhall to make his first NFL start.[17] Mendenhall rushed for 30 yards on 9 carries,[18][19] but was forced to leave the game with a fractured shoulder in the third quarter after a hit by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.[20] Mendenhall was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.[21] Mendenhall finished his rookie season with 58 rushing yards on 19 carries and 115 yards on six kick returns.[22][23]

In week 4 of the 2009 season, Mendenhall started in place of an injured Willie Parker. Against the San Diego Chargers, he jump-started his NFL career by rushing for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

After a 2009 season where Mendenhall ran for 1,108 yards and 7 touchdowns, his 2010 season proved to be even more impressive. In 2010 Mendenhall ran for 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns, helping lead the Steelers back to the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers, which they subsequently lost. The loss was aided by a 4th quarter fumble by Mendenhall that led to a Packers scoring drive.[24]

The 2011 season was a difficult season for Mendenhall, who only rushed for over 100 yards two times in 15 games. However, Mendenhall scored 9 touchdowns and had a 4.0 yards per carry average. On January 1, 2012, Mendenhall left the last regular season game against the Cleveland Browns with a knee injury on the final play of the 1st quarter. It was soon discovered that he had torn his ACL and was placed on the IR list. Mendenhall finished the year with 928 yards rushing.

On December 12, 2012, Mendenhall was suspended by the Steelers organization for a game against the Dallas Cowboys for not showing up to a game against the San Diego Chargers because he was deactivated due to inconsistent play.[25]

Arizona Cardinals (2013)

Mendenhall signed a one-year contract worth up to $2.5 million with the Arizona Cardinals on March 13, 2013. Mendenhall would end up scoring eight rushing touchdowns for the Cardinals [26]

Retirement

In March 2014, at the age of 26, Mendenhall retired from the NFL, saying, "Football was pretty cool, but I don't want to play anymore. I want to travel the world and write! ".[27][28][29]

NFL career statistics
YearTeamGP Rushing Receiving
AttYardsAvgTDLng RecYardsAvgTDLng
2008PIT 419583.10122178.5011
2009PIT 162421,1084.67602526110.4126
2010PIT 163241,2733.91350T231677.3024
2011PIT 152289284.1968181548.6035
2012PIT 6511823.60209626.9115
2013ARI 152176873.2828181347.4024
Career [30]721,0814,2363.93768957958.4235

Writing career

Mendenhall was a writer and story editor for the HBO sports comedy Ballers.[1][31] A number of scenes from the show were inspired by his own career.[32]

Personal

Osama bin Laden tweet

Reacting to the death of Osama bin Laden and the American reaction to the death of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, Mendenhall posted comments on his Twitter account criticizing the celebrations;[33] one tweet seemed to support 9/11 conspiracy theories.[34]

Transition from Football

Mendenall described the transition of leaving football as "finding a new identity" and "leaving the warrior that lived for physical battle."[32] He adopted a meditative discipline he described as "crescent moon" to facilitate his adjustment to post-football life.[32]

References
  1. "HBO Glad To Have Mendenhall's Expertise For "Ballers" - Steelers Depot". www.steelersdepot.com.
  2. "Scout.com". Scoutb.com (Press release). December 10, 2004. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  3. FightingIllini.com bio Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Sporting News' High School Football Magazine cover image". Sporting News (Press release). March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  5. Rashard Mendenhall & Malcolm Kelly on Best Damn Sports Show on YouTube
  6. Bouchette, Ed (April 28, 2008). "Steelers draft RB from Illinois, WR from Texas to protect Big Ben". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
  7. "James, Bush headline second tier of running backs". ESPN.com. June 4, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  8. Bouchette, Ed (July 26, 2008). "Mendenhall, Sweed sign with Steelers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  9. Mandak, Joe (July 25, 2008). "Steelers sign No. 1 pick to 5-year contract". NFL. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
  10. Harris, John (June 17, 2008). "Expect much from Mendenhall". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
  11. Brown, Scott (August 25, 2008). "Mendenhall having trouble hanging onto ball". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  12. Prisuta, Mike (August 26, 2008). "Mendenhall gets gripping lessons". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  13. Brown, Scott (August 28, 2008). "Steelers nip Panthers with last second field goal". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on September 1, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  14. Bouchette, Ed (August 29, 2008). "It's a Reed-thin margin again". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  15. Pompei, Dan (August 30, 2008). "Gripping drama unfolds in AFC North". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
  16. Dulac, Gerry (September 6, 2008). "Mendenhall gets fresh start from Tomlin". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  17. Associated Press (September 23, 2008). "Steelers will be without RB Parker, DT Hampton against rival Ravens". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  18. "Week Four GameCenter". Play-by-Play. NFL.com. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
  19. "National Football League Game Summary" (PDF). Baltimore Ravens At Pittsburgh Steelers. NFL.com. September 30, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
  20. Bouchette, Ed (September 30, 2008). "Four Steelers hurt; Mendenhall, Simmons to injured reserve list". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  21. Varley, Teresa (September 30, 2008). "Injuries leave Steelers thin at running back". PittsburghSteelers.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  22. "Rashard Mendenhall". Career stats. NFL.com. September 30, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  23. Bouchette, Ed (January 31, 2009). "Steelers rookie Mendenhall reacquainted with team". Pittsburgh Post-Gaztte. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  24. "Super Bowl XLV - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers - February 6th, 2011". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  25. http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Steelers-Suspend-RB-Rashard-Mendenhall-Activate-RB-Baron-Batch-From-Practice-Squad/e12031e0-bbeb-487f-9482-4d5e87a2c4be
  26. "Cards agree to one-year deal with Mendenhall". ESPN.com. March 13, 2013.
  27. "'The Huffington Post'" (Press release). March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  28. "Arizona Cardinals' Rashard Mendenhall is retiring".
  29. "Mendenhall, 26, retiring after 6 NFL seasons". ESPN.com. March 9, 2014.
  30. ESPN - Rashard Mendenhall Stats. ESPN. Retrieved March 19, 2013
  31. "Cardinals Blogs - Ex-Cards Mendenhall, Rhodes work Hollywood". blog.azcardinals.com.
  32. Kevin Cook (September 5, 2019). "Class Notes Profile: Gridiron Writer". Illinois Alumni. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  33. "Rashard Mendenhall's bin Laden Tweets raise eyebrows". CBS News.
  34. Barkhorn, Eleanor. "Rashard Mendenhall Doubts bin Laden Was Behind 9/11, and He's Not Alone". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
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