NFL star: Don't hate Bin Laden - he may not be behind 9/11

Rashard Mendenhall, the Pittsburgh Steelers running back, said via Twitter Monday evening that "There is not an ignorant bone in my body."

His Twitter account offers evidence to the contrary.

As people around the world began reacting to the news of Osama Bin Laden's death with a mix of joy and relief, the 23-year-old Mendenhall took a different approach. He went on a Twitter rampage against those people that took pleasure in Bin Laden's death, and made it clear he's not convinced Bin Laden was responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

"We'll never know what really happened," Mendenhall tweeted. "I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style."

Milwaukee Bucks guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, a former New Jersey Net, also took to Twitter to question the value of the death of the Al Qaeda leader.

Most of Mendenhall's rant was directed at the reaction of people who celebrated the news that Bin Laden had been killed. Clearly the scenes of celebration around the country struck a nerve.

"What kind of person celebrates death?" he Tweeted. "It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side...

"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."

Mendenhall continued, "For those of you who said you want to see Bin Laden burn in hell and piss on his ashes, I ask how would God feel about your heart?"

And he ended the rant by saying "There is not an ignorant bone in my body. I just encourage you to #think"

He certainly made his employers think. It didn't take long for Steelers president Art Rooney II to issue a statement distancing his team from his running back's stunning words.

"I have not spoken with Rashard so it is hard to explain or even comprehend what he meant with his recent Twitter comments," Rooney said. "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."

Mendenhall's words may have seemed surprising, but they probably weren't to his Twitter followers. He got in trouble with his Tweets back in March, too, after Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had compared being an NFL player to "modern-day slavery."

Mendenhall - who is entering the third year of a five-year, $9.855 million that included $7.125 million in guaranteed money - agreed.

"(Peterson) is correct in his analogy of this game," Mendenhall tweeted. " It is a lot deeper than most people understand. Anyone with knowledge of the slave trade and the NFL could say that these two parallel each other."