Americans erupted with elation earlier this week after President Barack Obama announced the United States killed Osama bin Laden in a raid on his hidden compound in Pakistan.

The joy was warranted, as bin Laden was the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed more than 3,000 people and destroyed the World Trade Center buildings in New York City.

The United States began a war in Afghanistan in the wake of the attacks to find the FBI’s No. 1 most wanted criminal and they finally found him, dealing al-Qaida ”“ his terrorist organization ”“ a serious blow.

Amidst the celebration the day after bin Laden’s death, political adversaries and radio and television foes credited Obama and his administration for the assassination. America seemed united regardless of a person’s political views or social status. America was one.

Then, a football player interrupted the feeling of national pride that swept the nation. That player was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Rashard Mendenhall.

Through his Twitter account, Mendenhall tweeted the following:

“What kind of person celebrates death? It’s amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We’ve only heard one side ”¦ We’ll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition-style.”

His tweet angered millions of Americans and the 23-year-old running back is feeling the backlash.

On Wednesday, he clarified his comments, saying that he wanted to get people to reconsider the jubilant reaction to bin Laden’s death, adding that his statement was something he said in response to the amount of joy he was seeing for bin Laden’s “murder.”

While Mendenhall is entitled to his opinion, we as Americans are entitled to tell him that we don’t agree with his irrational thoughts.

Mendenhall’s words slap the faces of the victims of 9/11. It is also disrespectful to the families to suggest that they should know bin Laden’s side of the story and that the events of that horrible day were not caused solely by jet airplanes slamming into the building. Seriously, what was and is he thinking?

There are conspiracy theorists that believe the 9/11 attacks were “inside jobs” conducted by the United States government to give then-President George W. Bush a reason to attack Iraq and eventually oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

People who don’t share those beliefs usually find the conspiracy theories meaningless and the words bounce off the American psyche like a flea hitting the windshield of a moving freight train. It’s nothing serious.

When a person who is a public figure begins speaking like a conspiracy theorist, however, it changes the dynamic of those views.

People listen to Mendenhall, and he has a public pulpit to speak his mind. He shouldn’t speak it in this case.

The Navy Seal who killed bin Laden was probably Mendenhall’s age, maybe a little younger, and he will probably never be as famous or make as much money as him. Mendenhall has his pulpit and money because he can carry a football.

The Navy Seal is more worthy of any attention and praise than Mendenhall will ever receive and should be congratulated.

Rashard, on the other hand, please just get back to what you do best: Play a game.

Ӣ Ӣ Ӣ

Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.