Former Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals running back Rashard Mendenhall has retired from the National Football League effective immediately, after only six seasons.
Instead of holding the now-customary press conference to deliver the shock news, Mendenhall wrote an article in the Huffington Post, outlining and justifying his decision.
“Football was pretty cool, but I don’t want to play anymore. I want to travel the world and write!” Mendenhall wrote.
Mendenhall cites three main reasons as to why he is giving the game away at such a young age.
Firstly was the constant vitriol from fans and the media, where he can’t begin to fathom how many times he has been labeled a “dumb n*gger” and having his performance measured by “stats and fantasy points”.
Secondly was the intense physical toll arising from arduous season after season, where the general public has no clue how much work the players put in and how tirelessly they prepare themselves.
Thirdly was the fact he no longer wishes to put his body “at risk for the sake of entertainment”, as the game has shifted to a place where entertainment is valued more than the basics and marvels of the game itself.
ICYMI: RB Rashard Mendenhall is retiring after six #NFL seasons. http://t.co/1A1B3ODj7K pic.twitter.com/2pxLE7Ta17
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 9, 2014
For most players who enter the NFL or any other professional sport, their mindset and the way they conduct themselves is solely to be the best of the best.
Then there are those who are there for the ridiculous amounts of money on offer.
Mendenhall acknowledges he is leaving millions of dollars on the table by walking away but after living a “private life in the public eye”, and watching how the NFL is all about showboating and egos, he can no longer withstand it.
The game has changed immensely for Mendenhall. The NFL is presently being forced to write cheques in the hundreds of millions to disgruntled former players as a result of various long-term brain and concussion related injuries – not to mention the increasing trend of career-ending knee injuries.
He has chosen to get out now, leaving healthy and with a bursting bank account, which is something current and future players need to start thinking about very carefully.
Over the course of his six-year career, Mendenhall piled up more than $13 million worth of salaries, which is an amount the vast majority of people would never come close to making in their entire working life.
Even now, if Mendenhall signed a one-year or two-year deal, this would eclipse the average person’s career earnings.
How many occasions have we seen players hang on for too long, putting their bodies through hell and numerous surgeries to get back on the field for another paycheque?
Mendenhall should be commended for realising there is more to life than providing entertainment for others and following his personal dreams.
Originally drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Mendenhall played for the Steelers for five seasons before signing a one-year, free-agent deal with Arizona for the 2013 season.
After his agent Mike Fitzpatrick received expressions of interest from various teams about Mendenhall’s availability for 2014 and beyond, he informed them on Twitter his client was finished.
As Mendenhall is still only 26 years of age, he has plenty of time to come back to the game if he ever so chooses.
As to why he chose to retire on his own terms and at this stage of his life?
“Honestly, I’ve really enjoyed my time in the NFL and have had tons of fun.
“I feel like I’ve done it all.”
Hey, supercoach? Choose your own ultimate NFL team and compete with other players for cash prizes in daily competitions on any match. If you’re after the best odds on the NFL, PlayUp is your best bet. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
The extraordinary episodes after his life as an American Football hero quite overshadowed the career of O.J. Simpson, who has died at the age…
The Kansas City Chiefs, steered brilliamtly at the end by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, downed the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime to secure…
San Francisco 49ers will make their eighth appearance in the Super Bowl after a stellar season from a team stacked with real talent across the whole line-up.
The Chiefs are no longer strangers to playing matches in February. What was once a multi-generational 50-year drought has become an almost yearly tradition.
Daniel Faalele and Mitch Wishnowsky have kept their Super Bowl dreams alive, with Baltimore and San Francisco winning the divisional round playoff.
Six-time NFL champion Bill Belichick has agreed to part ways as the coach of the New England Patriots, bringing an end to his 24-year…
