Rashard Mendenhall.

Former Steelers RB reminded of Super Bowl miscue after divisive social media post

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 12/18/23

Retired Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall posted a controversial message on social media Monday morning, suggesting that the Pro Bowl be replaced with an "All-Black vs. All-White bowl."

While some commenters like former All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt laughed off the message, a host of others slammed Mendenhall for his divisive words.

Among them was Christopher Carter, who covers the Steelers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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

I said it years ago, Rashard Mendenhall needs mental help, and a lot of it. Dude has been a head case for a while. Bigotry like that deserves no grace.
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) December 18, 2023

Scores of fans also reacted negatively to the Illinois product's post and reminded him of his costly fumble during Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers. As many pointed out, Mendenhall's infamous miscue during the 31-25 loss came after a hit from former Packers Pro Bowl linebacker Clay Matthews, who is white.

Pittsburgh selected Mendenhall as the 23rd overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and he spent the first five seasons of his career with the club, before playing the 2013 campaign with the Arizona Cardinals. Mendenhall's best season came in 2010 when he produced career highs in rushing attempts (324), rushing yards (1,273) and rushing touchdowns (13). Those numbers ranked fourth, seventh and second in the league that season, respectively.

Since announcing his retirement in March 2014, he's discussed the Super Bowl fumble on numerous occasions, including in June 2022 when he claimed that it wasn't a fumble at all. Then in November, Mendenhall openly criticized his longtime teammate (quarterback Ben Roethlisberger) for his perceived lack of leadership during the loss to Green Bay.

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