Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is suing Hanesbrands, Inc., the parent company of the sports-apparel brand Champion, after Champion dropped their endorsement of him following his series of controversial tweets about Osama bin Laden and 9/11.
Rashard Mendenhall Sues Champion After Being Dropped For Bin Laden Tweets
Mendenhall’s lawyers filed suit Monday in U.S. District Court in North Carolina, seeking roughly $1 million in damages from Hanesbrands, Inc., the Winston-Salem-based corporate parent of Champion.
Mendenhall infamously tweeted that “we’ve only heard one side” regarding bin Laden’s role in 9/11 and that there was “no evidence” he masterminded it. He also expressed skepticism that an airplane crashing into a skyscraper could cause it to fall.
Mendenhall’s contract with Champion contained specific language about not “offend[ing] the majority of the consuming public,” which his tweets certainly did, so it’s hard to see how he’s going to win this lawsuit.
Mendenhall’s attorney says that “This is about whether he can express his opinion,” which confuses the issue. This isn’t about free speech. Obviously, Champion is just as free to refuse to associate with Mendenhall if he says something offensive as he is to speak his mind in the first place.
For more on Mendenhall and the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain and SB Nation Pittsburgh.
See More:
