Rashard Mendenhall just ain't losing his mind, he lost an endorsement.... Check it
Its been an eventful week for Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall to say the least. After taking to his twitter account to address the killing of Osama Bin Laden and the conspiracy that Osama wasn't the cause of the 9/11 attacks Rashard has received non stop backlash.
After his teams front office came out and said they don't share his views on the situation and Steelers fans vowed to not buy another jersey with his name on the back, he's lost again.
Champion has dropped his endorsement contract saying:
"Champion is a strong supporter of the government's efforts to fight terrorism and is very appreciative of the dedication and commitment of the U.S. Armed Forces. Earlier this week, Rashard Mendenhall, who endorses Champion products, expressed personal comments and opinions regarding Osama bin Laden and the September 11 terrorist attacks that were inconsistent with the values of the Champion brand and with which we strongly disagreed. In light of these comments, Champion was obliged to conduct a business assessment to determine whether Mr. Mendenhall could continue to effectively communicate on behalf of and represent Champion with consumers."
They go on to say:
"While we respect Mr. Mendenhall's right to express sincere thoughts regarding potentially controversial topics, we no longer believe that Mr. Mendenhall can appropriately represent Champion and we have notified Mr. Mendenhall that we are ending our business relationship. Champion has appreciated its association with Mr. Mendenhall during his early professional football career and found him to be a dedicated and conscientious young athlete. We sincerely wish him all the best."
With the ongoing lockout im pretty sure Rashard didnt want or think that his comments would lead to losing endorsements aka $$$. He has made controversial comments in the past but im pretty sure this one will be the one he will always remember.
While watching ESPN First Take the question came up "Should athletes be able to use social networks?" My answer to that would be YES! Its great that fans can reach out to their favorite athletes. To take that away would be punishing the fans not the players. Players themselves need to go through more public relations training. They need to realize that EVERYTHING they say will be scrutinized. Watch what you say especially when it has to do with over 3,000 Americans dying on one day.
The media can either be your friend or your enemy.
What Do You Think?