This week Rashard Mendenhall's tweets criticizing celebrations of the death of Osama bin Laden and putting forth 9/11 conspiracy theories caused a storm of controversy. Fans and NFL analysts called the Steelers running back unpatriotic in addition to many other things. But Mendenhall isn't the first, and won't be the last, athlete whose actions caused many to question their patriotism. For decades, athletes have used their fame to make controversial political statements. From Muhammad Ali to Josh Howard, the progression of supposed unpatriotic acts by athletes has been an interesting one. Here is a History of (Supposed) Unpatriotic Acts by Athletes...
Muhammad Ali
John Carlos and Tommie Smith
Craig Hodges
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Toni Smith
Carlos Delgado
DATE: 7/21/2004
ACT: Protests Iraq War by silently staying in the dugout during the singing of "God Bless America."
COMPLEX SAYS: Delgado's passive form of protest had gone unnoticed by fans and some of his teammates until he voiced his opposition to the war in an interview with the Toronto Star. “It’s a very terrible thing that happened on September 11. It’s also a terrible thing that happened in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Delgado said. The Puerto Rico native continued by saying he feels sad for the family of those killed in the war but that "it's the stupidest war ever." On July 21, fans at Yankee stadium showed their disgust with Delgado (see photo above) while others showed signs of their support. Something we all can agree on: Though not his fault, Delgado's tenure with the Mets was during a time when the Messropolitans had some of their biggest fails.
Josh Howard
James Harrison
DATE: 5/18/2009
ACT: Refuses to go to the White House after Pittsburgh Steelers victory party.
COMPLEX SAYS: After winning Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers, as most championship teams in major sports are, were invited to the White House by President Barack Obama. Linebacker James Harrison turned down the invite saying he didn't feel it was that big of a deal and that Obama would have invited the Cardinals instead had they won. Uhh...yeah, the league definitely needs to do something about those head shots.
Luke Scott
DATE: 12/7/2010
ACT: Says he believes President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
COMPLEX SAYS: In an interview where he criticized the current administration's policies, Baltimore Oriole Luke Scott joined the legion of birthers by saying he doesn't believe President Obama was born in America. Despite the White House releasing Obama's birth certificate, Scott repeated his doubts and claims the birth certificate could be a fake. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but when you're a baseball player hitting sixth for one of league's most embarrassing franchises, no one really gives a fuck about your political opinion. Stay in your lane, son.
Rashard Mendenhall
DATE: 5/2/2011
ACT: Posted tweets criticizing celebrations of the death of Osama Bin Laden.
COMPLEX SAYS: While many took the streets celebrating the death of the Al Qaeda figurehead behind the 9/11 attacks, Mendenhall took to twitter to criticize their actions and state his belief in 9/11 conspiracy theories. "What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they never even heard speak. We've only heard one side...," Mendenhall continued by questioning the destruction of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. "We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style." The Steeler running back later said he didn't mean to cause harm to anyone but just wanted to "generate conversation." Well, you were successful in doing that. Now let's just work on securing the ball in those critical late-game situations. Ah, fuck it. There might not even be a Super Bowl next year.
