Mendenhall backs Peterson's 'slave' comment

[harts]

Originally Posted by Wallace108

I believe there's not much more we can add to this debate.

exactly
I knew it coming in when I made my statements that many would respond as they did

I did think this post would be dead 5 pages ago

Shocked it was still active when I returned last night to read about the draft but some of this stuff had to be addressed

[Galax Steeler]

Spam time to ban this one

[Twentyvalve]

I bet in his mind he thinks the cultural climate "forces" him to play football. In his mind there is nothing else he can do to make a living. Oh yeah, why does everyone always mention the Super Bowl fumble like it is his last name? That is just as stupid as his comment. Sheesh.

The league is not guilty of "slaver." It is guilty of stupidity.

[pete74]

Got him. He he's gone

[Bayz101]

Interesting article the spammer hit up.

[Justp94]

Originally Posted by SCMom

Mendenhall backs Peterson's 'slave' comment
By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, March 17, 2011

Running back Rashard Mendenhall is drawing attention to himself — and not because of his costly fumble in Super Bowl XLV.

Mendenhall on Wednesday supported Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's analogy between the NFL and the slave trade.

"It is a lot deep than most people understand," Mendenhall posted on the social networking site Twitter. "Anyone with knowledge of the slave trade and the NFL could say that these two parallel each other."

Peterson, a perennial All-Pro, fired the most controversial salvo between players and owners following the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987.

Players decertified as a union Friday after they could not reach a deal with the owners on a new collective bargaining agreement. The owners responded by locking out the players Saturday.

"It's modern-day slavery, you know?" Peterson told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday. "People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too. With all the money ... the owners are trying to get a different percentage, and bring in more money. I understand that; these are business-minded people. Of course this is what they are going to want to do. I understand that; it's how they got to where they are now. But as players, we have to stand our ground and say, 'Hey — without us, there's no football.'

"I don't really see this going to where we'll be without football for a long time; there's too much money lost for the owners. Eventually, I feel that we'll get something done."

Peterson's comments generated heavy criticism, including from some NFL players.

Mendenhall, however, stood behind Peterson in a series of tweets posted late Tuesday and yesterday.

Mendenhall declined an interview requested from the Tribune-Review through his agent, Mike McCartney. McCartney confirmed that Mendenhall authored the tweets that appeared on his official Twitter site.

The Steelers also declined comment.

Mendenhall, who was coming off a second straight 1,000-yard season, is an unlikely player in the firestorm Peterson started. He is generally reserved around the media.

But he did not back off his Twitter comments, firing back at those who were critical of him.

"If you look back and dissect what I said, I didn't say that the NFL was slavery, I said that they parallel each other. Look up the word parallel," he wrote. "I could break down how but that would take an amount of ideology and big words that a lot of you wouldn't understand."

Another Mendenhall tweet said: "Learn to LISTEN before you pass judgement. Because speaking without knowledge of subject is truly ignorant."

Twitter has become popular among professional athletes.

Among the Steelers who have active accounts on Twitter or Facebook, another social media website, include receiver Hines Ward, strong safety Troy Polamalu and outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley.

Professional athletes' use of Twitter became a hot topic in November after Buffalo Bills receiver Steve Johnson dropped what would have been a game-winning touchdown pass against the Steelers. After the Steelers 19-16 overtime win, Johnson sent a tweet blaming God for his miscue.

That drew attention to the drawbacks the immediacy of social media.

Mendenhall is coming off one of the best seasons by a Steelers running back. He rushed for 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns.

However, he lost a fumble at a critical juncture of last month's Super Bowl.

It came when the Steelers, who had scored 14 unanswered points, were driving in the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers.

The Steelers, who were trailing 21-17 when Mendenhall fumbled, lost, 31-25.

Read more: Mendenhall backs Peterson's 'slave' comment - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt...#ixzz1GrtDMlUt

What's the point of this Thread? It's irrelevant as Mendenhall has a right to Freedom of Speech and his comments on his twitter account don't mean anything unless it breaks the NFL Conduct Policies...

[austinfrench76]

The point of the article is to further illustrate that Mendenhall is a jack ass. That's it. That's me exercising my freedom to say what I want. Go away Justp94, troll.

[ricardisimo]

Originally Posted by Justp94

What's the point of this Thread? It's irrelevant as Mendenhall has a right to Freedom of Speech and his comments on his twitter account don't mean anything unless it breaks the NFL Conduct Policies...

The point of the thread is to discuss a topic of interest to the members of this message board. It doesn't need to be anything more.

Originally Posted by austinfrench76

The point of the article is to further illustrate that Mendenhall is a jack ass. That's it. That's me exercising my freedom to say what I want. Go away Justp94, troll.

He will not go away, but you will if you keep that attitude up. Let's keep it civil.

[lloydwoodson]

In Mendenhall's defense all the rookies who join the league are concentrated from their hometowns into one location where they go through the combine. At the combine they are poked and prodded by their wealthy bosses to see which are the biggest, strongest and fastest. The strong are purchased while the weak are discarded. Players have no say in where they choose to work and are instead told where they are to live and what work they will do.

I am not saying that the NFL is slavery I am just saying a person could draw a parallel. If you don't know what that means go look up the word "parallel."

Thank God for "NFL slavery." Could you imagine the NFL if it were like the NBA and players could join whatever team they wanted at any time? How terrible would it be if Megatron, AD, Gronk, and Fitz pulled a LeBron and decided they were going to go join their bestest friend A-Rod in GB.

[Bayz101]

Take a look at the date this thread was created.