Rashard Mendenhall: How to Become a 'Bad Guy' in 140 Characters or Less

Rashard Mendenhall Tweets His Way To Hall of Shame

Right off the bat, let me say this with regards to the Rashard Mendenhall tweet drama:  I agree that it certainly makes me feel uncomfortable to see people celebrating anyone's death.

But even if I didn't agree with Mendenhall on that front—and I certainly don't agree with his other "thoughts" on 9/11—he has every right in the world to say (and tweet) whatever he wants to, popular or not.

Still, and this is a debate that started long before and will continue long after the invention of Twitter, just because he has the right to say it, doesn't make it a good idea.

Think about the concept of Twitter for a minute. The entire purpose is to deliver short messages. And many people, in and out of the sports world, use it with great efficiency and creativity.

Peter King and a few other NFL writers' tweets during the NFL Draft were really enjoyable to read: Before it happened, King noted, "Lombardi says the Patriots are picking Ryan Mallett" and, "On third downs, Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil will be bookend pass-rushers for John Fox."

But those are "scoops," fact-based statements that needn't serious elaboration. King was REPORTING on something. And for that, Twitter is often the perfect medium. For OPINIONS, especially about serious matters, that's a different story.

I'm not saying Mendenhall needed to write an op-ed piece in the New York Times, or craft a 10,000-word investigative piece for Newsweek, but it's pretty hard to back up facts in 140 characters or less.

What exactly did he think would happen as a result of such a provocative statement? I think that's the point: He wasn't thinking.

Consider how people tweet. Most of the time, it's out of sheer boredom. You're sitting on your couch, you pull out your phone, and your little thumbs pound away with 30 seconds of fury. Is that really the best way to give people a glimpse into your innermost thoughts? I don't think so.

It's these snap judgments, these impulse cries that often cause the most trouble. And Mendenhall is just one example.

Remember when LeBron James was accused of tweeting "Karma is a b****" after the Cavs' 55-point loss? I think most of us have a hard time believing that James wasn't talking about his former team even though he claimed otherwise.

And how about Chad Ochocinco's "hurt feelings" tweet about the Bengals and Marvin Lewis? That single tweet may have completely altered the NFL Draft! A.J. Green wasn't a lock to Cincinnati, so maybe another Ochocinco headache clinched it for the Bengals.

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And then there are these back-and-forth tweet-measuring contests that pop up, like the one between Alex Smith and Roddy White, or Antonio Cromartie and Matt Hasselbeck. (As a side note, it's a bit surprising that so many of these tweet-dramas come from the NFL, where almost every stage of life is regimented and carefully orchestrated by both the league and teams.)

I don't think any one of the above mentioned Twitter offenders would ever admit it, but I bet they all wish they could have those tweets back.

But of course they can't.

Sure, it's part of our celebrity-crazed culture: Millions of Americans want to know which actor is dating which actress or check out celebrity mugshots or see that "Wow! Stars are just like us! They also like Mountain Dew!"

But opinions should be a little bit more precious and not just tossed around like stream of consciousness babble that "just came to me."

Athletes should know this better than anyone...at least better than they seem to.

Each has worked his entire life to reach the top of his respective sport. His athletic gifts, drive to be the best, and persistence didn't spring up overnight or by way of some sudden burst of divine inspiration.

And neither do thoughtful opinions.