Rashard Mendenhall Rashard Jamal Mendenhall ( born June 19 , 1987 ) is an American football running back for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers 23rd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft . He played college football at Illinois . Early years . Mendenhall attended Niles West High School and Lincoln Jr . High School in Skokie , Illinois . As a five - star prospect , he was also rated the No . 1 recruit in the state of Illinois by Scout . com . He recorded 1 , 300 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore . As a junior , he rushed for 1 , 832 yards and 19 touchdowns , while averaging 11 . 6 yards per carry . In his last year , he averaged 9 . 1 yards per carry , rushing for 1 , 453 yards on 160 attempts and 14 touchdowns . Following his high school career , Mendenhall played in the 2005 U . S . Army All - American Bowl . College career . Mendenhall played for the University of Illinois football team . His first season was in 2005 , during which he rushed for 218 yards on 48 carries , adding 82 yards receiving and two touchdowns . In 2006 , Mendenhall nearly tripled his rushing total , gaining 640 yards and scoring five touchdowns . He added 164 yards receiving and a touchdown , with 12 receptions . Throughout his final season with the Illini , Mendenhall rushed for a then school record 1 , 681 yards and 17 touchdowns . Throughout the 13 game season , he also had 318 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 34 receptions . He majored in Community Recreation . Mendenhall was on the cover of " Sporting News ' High School Football Magazine " . On April 24 , 2008 , Mendenhall made a guest appearance on The Best Damn Sports Show Period in a segment called " Best Damn Rookie Hazing " , along with former Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly . Professional career . Pre - draft . At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on February 24 , 2008 , Mendenhall ran an unofficial 4 . 36 forty - yard dash . His run was officially timed at 4 . 45 , which was sixth among all running backs at the NFL Scouting Combine . Pittsburgh Steelers . Mendenhall was drafted 23rd overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2008 NFL Draft . Prior to his rookie season Mendenhall was ranked by ESPN as the 30th best running back in the league . On July 25 , 2008 , Mendenhall agreed to a five - year contract worth US $ 12 . 55 million with the Steelers , of which $ 7 . 125 million is guaranteed . He was expected to be a complement to Pro - Bowl running back Willie Parker , in addition to returning kicks . Mendenhall fumbled twice in Pittsburgh ' s third pre - season game against Minnesota ; they were attributed to adjusting to the faster pace of the NFL . Days after the game , teammate Hines Ward placed a ball in Mendenhall ' s locker with a note stating , " Take Mendenhall ' s ball away and get $ 100 from him . " Mendenhall was required to carry the ball everywhere he went until the team ' s next game . Mendenhall fumbled once more in the Steelers final pre - season game , but worked with running backs coach Kirby Wilson to fix the problem . Mendenhall entered the 2008 regular season as the Steelers ' youngest player . He took on return duties in addition to his running back position . Entering the fourth week of the 2008 season , Willie Parker suffered an injury which allowed Mendenhall to make his first NFL start . Mendenhall rushed for 30 yards on 9 carries , but was forced to leave the game with a fractured shoulder in the third quarter after a hit by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis . Mendenhall was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season . Mendenhall finished his rookie season with 58 rushing yards on 19 carries and 115 yards on six kick returns . In week 4 of the 2009 season , Mendenhall started in place of an injured Willie Parker . Against the San Diego Chargers , he jump - started his NFL career by rushing for 165 yards and two touchdowns . After a 2009 season where Mendenhall ran for 1 , 108 yards and 7 touchdowns , his 2010 season proved to be even more impressive . In 2010 Mendenhall ran for 1 , 273 yards and 13 touchdowns , helping lead the Steelers back to the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers , which they subsequently lost . The loss was aided by a 3rd quarter fumble by Mendenhall that led to a Packers scoring drive . The 2011 season was a difficult season for Mendenhall , who only rushed for over 100 yards two times in 15 games . However , Mendenhall scored 9 touchdowns and had a 4 . 0 yards per carry average for the first time since 2009 . On January 1 , 2012 , Mendenhall left the last regular season game against the Cleveland Browns with a knee injury on the final play of the 1st quarter . It was soon discovered that he had torn his ACL and was placed on the IR list . Mendenhall finished the year with 928 yards rushing . On December 12th , 2012 Mendenhall was suspended by the Steelers orginazation for a game against the Dallas Cowboys for not showing up to a game against the San Diego Chargers because he was deactivated due to inconsistent play . Arizona Cardinals . Mendenhall signed a one - year contract worth up to $ 3 . 5 million with the Arizona Cardinals on March 13 , 2013 . Career statistics . Statistics from 2008 to 2011 . Personal . Mendenhall ' s brother , Walter Mendenhall , is a free agent running back . Mendenhall enjoys reading and writing poetry in his spare time . On May 5 , 2008 , while walking in Chicago , Mendenhall was robbed at gunpoint . He was not injured . In September 2008 , Mendenhall became the first professional athlete to sign an endorsement deal with Champion in ten years . Reacting to the death of Osama bin Laden and the American reaction to the death of Osama bin laden on May 2 , 2011 , Mendenhall posted comments on his Twitter account criticizing the celebrations ; one tweet seemed to support 9 / 11 conspiracy theories . " Sports - based websites wrote articles critical of Mendenhall ' s comments . Mendenhall attempted to clarify his position a day after the tweets , writing he did not mean to stir up controversy , but " generate conversation . " Champion announced that they ended their endorsement deal with Mendenhall on May 5 following his comments .