Yesterday, Steelers team president Art Rooney II released a statement: "I have not spoken with Rashard, so it is hard to explain or even comprehend what he meant with his recent Twitter comments. The entire Steelers organization is very proud of the job our military personnel have done and we can only hope this leads to our troops coming home soon."
Among Mendenhall's other bin Laden tweets:
"I believe in God. I believe we're ALL his children. And I believe HE is the ONE and ONLY judge."
"Those who judge others, will also be judged themselves."
"For those of you who said you want to see Bin Laden burn . . . I ask how would God feel about your heart?"
"There is not an ignorant bone in my body. I just encourage you to think."
Mendenhall's string of tweets ended around 6 p.m. Monday. He has not tweeted since.
Noteworthy
* A federal appeals court agreed to fast track the NFL's request to put its labor lockout in place until a new deal is finally worked out. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis set a June 3 hearing.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson issued her injunction stopping the lockout on April 25 and denied the NFL's appeal two days later. The league appealed to the 8th Circuit, and the same three-judge panel issued a temporary stay of Nelson's order on Friday. The lockout was put back in place by the owners a few hours later. The 8th Circuit is still deciding whether to make the stay more permanent, until the appeals process can play out.
Under the appeals schedule set up yesterday, the league's opening brief is due May 9 and the players must file their response brief by May 20. The NFL's reply to the response is due May 26.
* Tennessee Titans backup quarterback Chris Simms wasn't high, but a friend's marijuana smoking got the player arrested on drugged-driving charges, the friend told a jury in New York. Charles Granatell - a former Bryant University quarterback - said he was entirely responsible for the pot odor that later prompted an officer to arrest Simms. Simms has pleaded not guilty in the misdemeanor case.
