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“I don’t know if there is a more attacked player in the modern era than me….I open my phone and I’m being reminded of a moment every day, that shit feels like Chinese water torture, a little ping over and over and over again. When they say football is what you do not who you are, I don’t believe that, I feel like who and what we did under that helmet, sticks with you, that animal, that monster and for me it was a Samurai. It’s not the play, I played a million plays, I did the best I could, I’ve let go of the play, it’s how I’ve been treated since that I don’t feel like is fair and I finally had enough.” Rashard Mendenhall opens up about his fumble in Super Bowl 45 in today’s conversation on The Pivot.

As we end a year, we are reminded that some of us carry burdens with us that we know nothing about and until we are able to open up and release it, the thought and feeling torments us. For former Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, it’s one play he feels has cast a shadow over everything else he’s done in his career on and off the football field. In a heavy but necessary conversation, the guys create a space for a tough but instrumental discussion about life, letting go and owning up to a mistake.

Ryan and Fred sit down with Rashard for a conversation that got to the root of recent controversial comments made by the Steeler great, focusing on how one moment in the running back’s career has caused a decade of torment. 

Super Bowl 45 saw Ryan and Rashard’s Pittsburgh team fall to the Green Bay Packers, and the crew discussed how Mendenhall’s fumble played a crucial part in that game and his life beyond it. 

Last week, Mendenhall made waves in the NFL media world with a Tweet that seemed to pit a potential all-white player team and all-black player team against one another. 

Fans, players and personalities alike ran with the concept and made the hypothetical scenario become a little more real with debate and discussions, without the true context of why he said what he said and the root of it all.

Ryan and Fred point out that NFL players are constantly in the public eye and there needs to be a disconnect from the media at times as it can have personal implications. Just last week Jonathan Owens and The Pivot team received scrutiny for the comments about Jonathan’s wife Simone Biles, yet as the hosts know, outside talk can always be insensitive as celebrities become a canvas and the guys reiterate how much love is between the young couple and encourage people to open minds to what’s reality vs what a false narrative creates.

The situation in Denver has another player under the microscope as Russell Wilson has been benched by the Broncos, and the guys talk about Sean Payton and how Russ deserved better. Ryan isn’t shy about his thoughts on Payton’s moves from day one and how not only is it unprofessional but disrespectful in today’s game.

One thing is certain, and it is that Freddy T is getting some of the love he deserves. Taylor was named a modern-era finalist on the upcoming ballot, but as Kobe says, “the job’s not done.”

From our Pivot Family to yours, Happy New Year and we are ready for a full 2024 that’s going to be our best yet!

New episodes drop on Tuesdays at 12 p.m. ET and Fridays at 3:30 p.m ET on YouTube, with audio available on all streaming platforms including Apple, Spotify and Amazon.

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