Former Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall won a Super Bowl when he was in the NFL. After suffering a devastating ACL injury, it seemed that Mendenhall was never the same on the field. He eventually retired from the NFL at the age of 26 and has now found himself pursuing an unlikely career in television writing successfully.
Mendenhall is now a writer for HBO. After his NFL career was over, he moved to Santa Monica, CA, and joined the Writer’s Guild of America. He had dreamed of becoming a screenwriter, and now it appears Mendenhall is headed in the right director.
“I wasn’t supposed to walk away from the NFL, but I did. I wasn’t supposed to be writing television, but I am. I’m supposed to be lost after football. I’m not.”
“I’m on the writing team of a new show that will air on HBO next summer.”
“A year ago, a writing career was just a tiny seed of thought as I prepared for my sixth NFL season. And as I write this now, it has already begun to sprout. Through this experience I’ve learned that you can will your dreams into existence.”
Mendenhall serves as a great example for so many young men in the NFL that are unsure of life without the game. Though it might be hard to imagine not doing something that’s been a part of your life for so long, his story just proves that success without the sport is attainable.
[h/t TMZ]