Former Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is now playing victim after taking to X on Monday, saying he’s tired of “average white guys” commenting on football.
In a poor attempt at damage control or deflection (either way, it didn’t work), Mendenhall took to X to answer his many critics after he called white commentators “average” and proposed an “All-Black vs. All-White” Pro Bowl.
“Simply tired of being berated by people who arent experts in de game,” Mendenhall wrote. “We jus pretend like I’m the only athlete tired of fans talking trash? You dis upset over a single tweet. What about us? Like me or not, I’m a GREAT in football. This proves my point, u can’t speak on ball alone.”
Simply tired of being berated by people who arent experts in de game. We jus pretend like I’m the only athlete tired of fans talking trash? You dis upset over a single tweet. What about us? Like me or not, I’m a GREAT in football. This proves my point, u can’t speak on ball alone
— Rashard Mendenhall (@R_Mendenhall) December 18, 2023
Earlier on Monday, Mendenhall had written, “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 goat.”
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 goat.
— Rashard Mendenhall (@R_Mendenhall) December 18, 2023
Mendenhall received serious backlash for the remarks, and it clearly irked him. It’s baffling that Mendenhall thinks his comments shouldn’t have hit any nerves. If he had restricted his statements to saying that athletes are tired of fans “talking trash,” this would have been no big deal. Instead, he made it about race. He said white people weren’t good at football and that he was better than the greatest white football player of all time.
Gee, I wonder why anyone would get upset about blatantly racist comments like that.