Rashard Mendenhall
No. 34, 28 | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Skokie, Illinois, U.S. | June 19, 1987||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Niles West (Skokie, Illinois) | ||||||||||||
College: | Illinois (2005–2007) | ||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Rashard Jamal Mendenhall (born June 19, 1987) is an American former football running back who played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected 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.
After his career, he became a writer for the television series Ballers writing 30 episodes of the series.[1]
Early years
Mendenhall attended
College career
Mendenhall played for the
Mendenhall was on the cover of
On May 8, 2023, Mendenhall was named as an inductee into the Illini Hall of Fame.[6]
Statistics
Illinois Fighting Illini | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | GP | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
2005 | 10 | 48 | 218 | 4.5 | 18 | 0 | 13 | 82 | 6.3 | 16 | 2 | |
2006 | 12 | 78 | 640 | 8.2 | 86 | 5 | 12 | 164 | 13.7 | 76 | 1 | |
2007 | 13 | 262 | 1,681 | 6.4 | 79 | 17 | 34 | 318 | 9.4 | 55 | 2 | |
Career | 35 | 388 | 2,539 | 6.5 | 86 | 22 | 59 | 564 | 9.6 | 76 | 5 |
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle |
Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 ft 10+1⁄8 in (1.78 m) |
225 lb (102 kg) |
31+3⁄8 in (0.80 m) |
10+7⁄8 in (0.28 m) |
4.45 s | 1.57 s | 2.59 s | 4.18 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
26 reps | ||
All values from |
Pittsburgh Steelers (2008–2012)
Mendenhall was drafted in the first round with the 23rd overall pick by the
Mendenhall entered the 2008 regular season as the Steelers' youngest player.[21] He took on return duties in addition to his running back position.[21] Entering the fourth week of the 2008 season, Willie Parker suffered an injury which allowed Mendenhall to make his first NFL start.[22] Mendenhall rushed for 30 yards on 9 carries,[23][24] but was forced to leave the game with a fractured shoulder in the third quarter after a hit by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.[25] Mendenhall was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.[26] Mendenhall finished his rookie season with 58 rushing yards on 19 carries and 115 yards on six kick returns.[27][28]
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.[29]
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.[30]
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 [31]
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!"[32][33][34]
NFL career statistics
Year | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
2008 | PIT | 4 | 19 | 58 | 3.1 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 11 | 0 |
2009 | PIT | 16 | 242 | 1,108 | 4.6 | 60 | 7 | 25 | 261 | 10.4 | 26 | 1 |
2010 | PIT | 16 | 324 | 1,273 | 3.9 | 50T | 13 | 23 | 167 | 7.3 | 24 | 0 |
2011 | PIT | 15 | 228 | 928 | 4.1 | 68 | 9 | 18 | 154 | 8.6 | 35 | 0 |
2012 | PIT | 6 | 51 | 182 | 3.6 | 20 | 0 | 9 | 62 | 6.9 | 15 | 1 |
2013 | ARI | 15 | 217 | 687 | 3.2 | 28 | 8 | 18 | 134 | 7.4 | 24 | 0 |
Career | 72 | 1,081 | 4,236 | 3.9 | 68 | 37 | 95 | 795 | 8.4 | 35 | 2 |
Writing career
Mendenhall was a writer and story editor for the HBO sports comedy Ballers.[1][35] A number of scenes from the show were inspired by his own career.[36]
Controversies
This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. (December 2023) |
Reacting to
On April 11, 2019, during the public fallout between Mendenhall's former teammates Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, Mendenhall took to Twitter stating that the situation between Roethlisberger and Brown occurred because Roethlisberger is racist. Mendenhall tweeted, "Alright, I'll end the mystery...B's racist and @AB84 (Brown) is black. He had to catch balls from a racist quarterback. Every honest player knows it, it's not a big deal. He was just supposed to take his lickings and move on, like a slave for real." Mendenhall later attempted to back pedal on his remarks, saying that Roethlisberger was "not racist" just like Brown is "not a dirtbag" and "Clearly it's no fun, when EVERYONE's the accused."[39]
On December 18, 2023, Mendenhall posted on X, "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 [sic] goat."[40] The post drew widespread mockery and criticism, including from Robert Griffin III, who posted a video in which he said, "This is the tweet of a dumbass. Don't be a dumbass. These are prejudice, discriminatory, racial ideologies which set us back centuries. We don't want to go back to the old times. I don't want to participate in the segregation bowl."[41] Mendenhall followed up on the post five days later, saying "Did not intend to lessen my white football brothers. But honestly, they know that..".[42]
References
- ^ a b "HBO Glad To Have Mendenhall's Expertise For "Ballers" - Steelers Depot". www.steelersdepot.com. July 5, 2015.
- ^ "Scout.com". Scoutb.com (Press release). December 10, 2004. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
- ^ FightingIllini.com bio Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Sporting News(Press release). March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
- YouTube
- ^ "Fighting Illini Athletics Announce Hall of Fame Class of 2023". May 8, 2023.
- ^ "2008 Draft Scout Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ "Rashard Mendenhall, Combine Results, RB - Illinois". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ "Rashard Mendenhall 2008 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (April 28, 2008). "Steelers draft RB from Illinois, WR from Texas to protect Big Ben". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- ^ "James, Bush headline second tier of running backs". ESPN.com. June 4, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (July 26, 2008). "Mendenhall, Sweed sign with Steelers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ^ a b Mandak, Joe (July 25, 2008). "Steelers sign No. 1 pick to 5-year contract". NFL. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
- ^ Harris, John (June 17, 2008). "Expect much from Mendenhall". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Prisuta, Mike (August 26, 2008). "Mendenhall gets gripping lessons". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (August 29, 2008). "It's a Reed-thin margin again". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
- ^ Pompei, Dan (August 30, 2008). "Gripping drama unfolds in AFC North". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
- ^ a b Dulac, Gerry (September 6, 2008). "Mendenhall gets fresh start from Tomlin". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
- ^ "Steelers will be without RB Parker, DT Hampton against rival Ravens". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 23, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
- ^ "Week Four GameCenter". Play-by-Play. NFL.com. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ "National Football League Game Summary" (PDF). Baltimore Ravens At Pittsburgh Steelers. NFL.com. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (September 30, 2008). "Four Steelers hurt; Mendenhall, Simmons to injured reserve list". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Rashard Mendenhall". Career stats. NFL.com. September 30, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (January 31, 2009). "Steelers rookie Mendenhall reacquainted with team". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
- ^ "Super Bowl XLV - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers - February 6th, 2011". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
- ^ "Steelers Suspend RB Rashard Mendenhall; Activate RB Baron Batch from Practice Squad". Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ^ "Cards agree to one-year deal with Mendenhall". ESPN.com. March 13, 2013.
- ^ "'The Huffington Post'" (Press release). March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- NFL.com.
- ^ "Mendenhall, 26, retiring after 6 NFL seasons". ESPN.com. March 9, 2014.
- ^ "Cardinals Blogs - Ex-Cards Mendenhall, Rhodes work Hollywood". blog.azcardinals.com. July 6, 2015.
- ^ Kevin Cook (September 5, 2019). "Class Notes Profile: Gridiron Writer". Illinois Alumni. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ "Rashard Mendenhall's bin Laden Tweets raise eyebrows". CBS News.
- ^ Barkhorn, Eleanor (May 3, 2011). "Rashard Mendenhall Doubts bin Laden Was Behind 9/11, and He's Not Alone". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ Zucker, Joseph (August 26, 2020). "Ben Roethlisberger's Wife Ashley: 2019 Offseason Was 'Challenging' on Marriage". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ Popejoy, Curt (December 18, 2023). "Former Steeler Rashard Mendenhall takes to Twitter with yet another tirade". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ Schmitt, Collin. "Steeler Nation: Pittsburgh Steelers News, Rumors, & More". Steeler Nation. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ Gaydos, Ryan (December 24, 2023). "Ex-Steelers player says he 'did not intend to lessen my white football brothers'". Fox News. Retrieved December 24, 2023.