[vinman]

American football player Rashad Mendenhall in his own words. He walked away from a lot of money and prestige to live life on his terms. Respect.

Quote:

I decided not to hold a press conference because I didn't want to have to say things that were cliché. I've done enough of that since I've been playing football. I actually didn't really plan on saying anything about my retirement at all. I just kind of wanted to disappear. The fact that I was done playing would've been clear once some time had passed, and I hadn't signed back with the Cardinals or any other team. Maybe people would've thought I couldn't get another job. Either way, I was okay with the idea of fading to black, and my legacy becoming "What ever happened to that dude Rashard Mendenhall? He was pretty good for a few years, then he just vanished."

The truth is, I don't really think my walking away is that big of deal. For me it's saying, "Football was pretty cool, but I don't want to play anymore. I want to travel the world and write!" However as I told the people around me that I wasn't planning on signing again, there was a surprising amount of shock and bewilderment.

"Why would you stop now? You're only 26 years old! You're just going to walk away from millions of dollars? Is your knee fully healed? You had a pretty good year last year," etc. After the initial shock response and realization that I'm not kidding, the question that would continue to arise is: Why?

"Why do you want to stop playing football at 26?"

Honestly, I've really enjoyed my time in the NFL and have had tons of fun.

I feel like I've done it all. I've been to two Super Bowls; made a bunch of money; had a lot of success; traveled all over the country and overseas; met some really cool people; made lasting relationships; had the opportunity to give back to causes close to my heart; and have been able to share my experiences and wisdom with friends, family and people all over the world. Not to mention all the fun I had goofing around at work day after day with my teammates! I'm thankful that I can walk away at this time and smile over my six years in the NFL, and 17 total seasons of football -- dating back to when I started pee-wee ball at Niles West in 1997, when I was 10. These experiences are all a part of me, and will remain in my heart no matter what I do, or where I go.

Along with the joyful experiences I had, came many trials. In my last piece, "The Vision," I wrote about traversing through dark and dangerous waters, working to attain peace and refuge. That intense journey described my personal life in the NFL. Journeying through those waters symbolized living a private life in the public eye. Imagine having a job where you're always on duty, and can never fully relax or you just may drown. Having to fight through waves and currents of praise and criticism, but mostly hate. I can't even count how many times I've been called a 'dumb nigger'. There is a bold coarseness you receive from non-supporters that seems to only exist on the Internet. However, even if you try to avoid these things completely -- because I've tried -- somehow they still reach you. If not first-hand, then through friends and loved ones who take to heart all that they read and hear. I'm not a terribly sensitive person, so this stuff never really bothered me. That was until I realized that it actually had an impact my career. Over my career, I would learn that everything people say behind these computer and smartphones actually shape the perception of you -- the brand, the athlete and the person. Go figure!

What was more difficult for me to grasp was the way that the business of entertainment had really shifted the game and the sport of football in the NFL. The culture of football now is very different from the one I grew up with. When I came up, teammates fought together for wins and got respect for the fight. The player who gave the ball to the referee after a touchdown was commended; the one who played through injury was tough; the role of the blocking tight end was acknowledged; running backs who picked up blitzing linebackers showed heart; and the story of the game was told through the tape, and not the stats alone. That was my model of football.

Today, game-day cameras follow the most popular players on teams; guys who dance after touchdowns are extolled on Dancing With the Starters; games are analyzed and brought to fans without any use of coaches tape; practice non-participants are reported throughout the week for predicted fantasy value; and success and failure for skill players is measured solely in stats and fantasy points. This is a very different model of football than the one I grew up with. My older brother coaches football at the high-school and youth level. One day he called me and said, "These kids don't want to work hard. All they wanna do is look cool, celebrate after plays, and get more followers on Instagram!" I told him that they might actually have it figured out.

Over my career, because of my interests in dance, art and literature, my very calm demeanor, and my apparent lack of interest in sporting events on my Twitter page, people in the sporting world have sometimes questioned whether or not I love the game of football. I do. I always have. I am an athlete and a competitor. The only people who question that are the people who do not see how hard I work and how diligently I prepare to be great -- week after week, season after season. I take those things very seriously. I've always been a professional. But I am not an entertainer. I never have been. Playing that role was never easy for me. The box deemed for professional athletes is a very small box. My wings spread a lot further than the acceptable athletic stereotypes and conformity was never a strong point of mine. My focus has always been on becoming a better me, not a second-rate somebody else. Sometimes I would suffer because of it, but every time I learned a lesson from it. And I'll carry those lessons with me for the rest of my life.

So when they ask me why I want to leave the NFL at the age of 26, I tell them that I've greatly enjoyed my time, but I no longer wish to put my body at risk for the sake of entertainment. I think about the rest of my life and I want to live it with much quality. And physically, I am grateful that I can walk away feeling as good as I did when I stepped into it.

As for the question of what will I do now, with an entire life in front of me? I say to that, I will LIVE! I plan to live in a way that I never have before, and that is freely, able to fully be me, without the expectation of representing any league, club, shield or city. I do have a plan going forward, but I will admit that I do not know how things will totally shape out. That is the beauty of it! I look forward to chasing my desires and passions without restriction, and to sharing them with anyone who wants to come along with me! And I'll start with writing!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rashard-me...map=%5B%5D

[samsamsam]

Damn he is only 26? I so thought he was so much older.

vinman, I thought you were going to tell us how you retired at 26. I was going to be happy for you and jealous at the same time.

[4profit]

I went to the same high school as Rashard. I remember seeing him in the school's weight room once, probably just a few months before he entered the draft. It's good to know that he managed to leave the NFL relatively unscathed and on his own terms. There are greater players than him that haven't been able to do the same thing. Good for him!

[vinman]

(03-10-2014 12:26 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  

Damn he is only 26? I so thought he was so much older.

vinman, I thought you were going to tell us how you retired at 26. I was going to be happy for you and jealous at the same time.

I wish. I'm almost 46 and still grinding.

[booshala]

Damn, very thoughtful response and reasoning. I don't think this is the last we'll hear from him.

[lavidaloca]

I'm not sure I'd want to retire quite that young. I think you'd get a greater appreciation for your time and value during retirement if you retired a bit later at say 40. Plus at that age it's not as if he would've had to escape the US in order to have access to decent looking woman.

I'm guessing he isn't actually retiring in the sense that he won't work. He probably has other areas that he wants to pursue. It will be more of a career change for him as opposed to retirement.

[UrbanNerd]

He was a 1st-round draft choice, and it was before the NFL's rookie salary cap so he made his money upfront. Also, it sounds like he was one of those guys who didn't spend up his money. Let's be honest...sitting on $15-$20 million AFTER hooking your family is a lot of money...AND ONLY AGE 26.

He will never pay for a meal in the Champaign/Urbana Illinois area again (being a former U-Illinois star) and maybe not pay in Chicago either.

He should be straight.

[rimjobs4life]

(03-10-2014 12:22 AM)vinman Wrote:  

Having to fight through waves and currents of praise and criticism, but mostly hate. I can't even count how many times I've been called a 'dumb nigger'. There is a bold coarseness you receive from non-supporters that seems to only exist on the Internet. However, even if you try to avoid these things completely -- because I've tried -- somehow they still reach you. If not first-hand, then through friends and loved ones who take to heart all that they read and hear.

Let's not overlook this disgrace because it obviously had relevance in his decision not to retire later or he wouldn't have written it.

Imagine knowing no matter how much of a class act you try to be, every time your son or daughter looked through their father's Twitter page, they'd see this garbage.

[Kabal]

(03-10-2014 01:41 AM)rimjobs4life Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 12:22 AM)vinman Wrote:  

Having to fight through waves and currents of praise and criticism, but mostly hate. I can't even count how many times I've been called a 'dumb nigger'. There is a bold coarseness you receive from non-supporters that seems to only exist on the Internet. However, even if you try to avoid these things completely -- because I've tried -- somehow they still reach you. If not first-hand, then through friends and loved ones who take to heart all that they read and hear.

Let's not overlook this disgrace because it obviously had relevance in his decision not to retire later or he wouldn't have written it.

Imagine knowing no matter how much of a class act you try to be, every time your son or daughter looked through their father's Twitter page, they'd see this garbage.

Professional athletes, and even the more famous college athletes, all receive a lot of vitriol from sports fans... fandom = fandumb, almost by definition.

Small price to pay for fame and fortune. I'd gladly eat epithets day in and day out for a few million, or even minor fame.

Pity... Mendenhall is/was what, like a +4.0, +4.5 st. dev. athlete? He sure is not going to be anywhere near that as a writer, or whatever he does next.

Oh well; it's his life, good for him if that's what he wants to do.

This could be a lesson and/or an inspiration: if Mendenhall can walk away from playing in the NFL, you can walk away from your crummy cubicle job.

Always helps having a few million in the bank first, though.

[soup]

Retirement is gay.

[WanderingSoul]

(03-10-2014 01:05 AM)lavidaloca Wrote:  

I'm not sure I'd want to retire quite that young. I think you'd get a greater appreciation for your time and value during retirement if you retired a bit later at say 40.

Do you know what happens to NFL running backs who play until they are 40?

Me either, because they are beaten to dog shit way before that.

I have a family friend who played D1 football as a starting linebacker and won a national championship. He went on to play in the NFL for a few years after.

At around 50 years old, his body is destroyed. Neck, knee and his back. He's fucking ruined physically after only playing a few years in the NFL. The guy is addicted to oxys and all kinds of other pain killers. Partly due to an addictive personality, and partly due to living in constant pain.

I think Rashard made a great choice. He seems like a very smart guy, so I'd be he will be financially secure for the rest of his life.

Playing in the NFL would be amazing, but wouldn't it also be amazing to travel the world as a 26 year old multi millionaire with a great body? Now this fuckin guy gets to do both!

Bravo to him. Dude's a genius in my book.

[Jukes]

After hearing about injuries , bankruptcy , and other gossip in the sports world , it is nice to see something like this . Respect !

[WanderingSoul]

(03-10-2014 08:23 AM)Jukes Wrote:  

After hearing about injuries , bankruptcy , and other gossip in the sports world , it is nice to see something like this . Respect !

Yea, this is basically the well thought out and executed version of the Ricky Williams plan.

[Hotwheels]

Like Rio, I also know personally a former NFL player.

Was in the league for four years, got his knee destroyed and lives in constant pain to this day.

Between D1 ball and the NFL, anyone that comes out of that NOT destroyed has to consider themselves very lucky.

Mendenhall, unlike most, realizes he has more than enough money to do pretty much whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Destroying his body and living a life of pain isn't worth the extra 20 or 30 million to him.

I give him props.

[rudebwoy]

He can walk away from the game unlike most players.

[samsamsam]

Unless someone wrote that for him, he sounds very intelligent and thoughtful. Playing in the NFL shows commitment and heart.

He has been smart enough to hold onto his money. That shows judgement and caution.

I am sure that he will be successful in other pursuits.

[YaManBT]

Much respect. Rashard has always had his third eye open. I'm happy for him making this decision. I know he will do great things outside of football.

[kosko]

(03-10-2014 08:26 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  

(03-10-2014 08:23 AM)Jukes Wrote:  

After hearing about injuries , bankruptcy , and other gossip in the sports world , it is nice to see something like this . Respect !

Yea, this is basically the well thought out and executed version of the Ricky Williams plan.

I agree. Ricky had good intentions but executed poorly and basically became a slave to the Dolphins because if it.

[Roosh]

I'm in 100% agreement with him. Today's athletes are seen as nothing more than dancing monkeys to the public who view sports as something more like a soap opera than athletic competition. They are talked about more for who they date, their off-the-field actions, and their provocative statements than what they actually do during games. These guys are thrust into a celebrity role when they just want to play their sport.

[jamaicabound]

Thanks for posting, great article. I really have a lot of respect for the guy. First off comes across as very well rounded and not just a stupid ghetto football player. I think it's awesome he has other interests and a curiousity about life and the world around him.

I also agree with what roosh said, todays athletes are a bunch of whiney babies, sports have turned into wrestling, how much is legitimate competition vs dances and dating celebs and all the toher crap they are wrapped up in.

I also think very smart decision by him, the average running back has like a couple years in the NFL before they are injured or fade away he's pretty much at that point where they start to go downhill. Sure he could probably eek out a few more years, have some decent seasons, amke a few more million but for what? He's got money and is it worth a few million more to blow out his knees and not be able to explore the cities and sights he wants to see? It also sounds like he didn't really like the life in the limelight and having no privacy and doing the politics thing the NFL requires.

Very cool, I'll have to keep an eye out for him and see if he puts out any books or anything. Thanks for posting.

[VincentVinturi]

Inspiring.

[tbone46]

I respect him living his life, but let's be clear that most NFL players do NOT have enough money to never work again. He is 26 years old and has been used to spending money like water...if his only plan is to "live like i've never lived before" then we will be hearing about him again either back in the league in a few years playing for the minimum or as a cautionary tale when he declares bankruptcy.

[Hotwheels]

Most of them could do very well in life if they realized they won't be making that money for the rest of their lives.

The guy I know was a fourth rounder and opened a steakhouse, that failed, in his hometown. Great guy but burned up his money fast on silly shit like that.

[TheBulldozer]

Lots of credit to him. A lot of us talk about making a ton of cash, throwing up the finger and leaving the system. This is exactly what he's done here. He got in, made his cash, and got out of the system.

It's a very different 'system' that many of us wage slaves are used to, but it's exactly the same thing in terms of his career restricting the way he wants to live his life.

Something tells me that he took care of his money the right way, will engage in some really interesting endeavors and live the rest of his life off of interest payments.

[lavidaloca]

I think the average NFL player only plays like 3 seasons and based on league minimums I think they make then what? 1 or 1.5 million before taxes but have to split it with the agents, tax men, etc. Leaving them with inadequate amounts to retire and live really well as they probably want to.

It appears that he signed a signing bonus of roughly $15 million. I'm pretty sure that's an exception to the norm.

It's good for him to get out on his terms as has been alluded to.