As Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall prepares to hit the free-agent market, he won’t have to worry about his pending lawsuit against an apparel company that dumped him after he made controversial remarks regarding the death of Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 attacks.
The Winston-Salem Journal recently reported that the lawsuit has been settled. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
And while the settlement was mentioned last week in our one-liners, I felt compelled on a relatively slow Tuesday night to address the presumption that the settlement means Mendenhall “won” the case.
It’s common in civil litigation for the details to remain confidential. An unknown amount of money changes hands under the express condition that the specifics never be shared with the media, or anyone else.
But without knowing the amount of the settlement, it’s impossible to know who as a practical matter prevailed. Often, no one does. Indeed, the best settlement is the one that leaves all parties a little pissed off.
Moving forward, the situation won’t make Mendenhall any more attractive to a new team, especially in light of the fact that he’ll be 26 in June and he has had plenty of injuries (including a torn ACL) and he plays a position that features plenty of rookies every year who are healthy and inexpensive and non-controversial.