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At first it seems unbelievable that a 26-year-old running back would want to walk away from the game that made him millions. However, once you read Rashard Mendenhall’s blog post, you can almost understand his reasoning to walk away from the game he loves.
Mendenhall is an unrestricted free agent after playing with the Arizona Cardinals. However, he starts his post by saying in his opening paragraph, “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.”
His reasoning is not all that complicated. Instead, he simply states with the “joyous experiences”, there are also “many trials”.
He continued, “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 n*****r’. There is a bold coarseness you receive from non-supporters that seems to only exist on the Internet. “
In the post, he talks about how football has become more about putting up the best fantasy points every week rather than playing with your heart for your teammates. He concludes post by saying what he plans on doing now with his life.
“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,” he said.
He admits he is excited for any curveballs life has planned for him. Mendenhall also points out that he does love the game of football and always has, but it is just his time to move on to his other passions in life.
