Mendenhall: Roethlisberger Left Me With a $25,000 Tab at a Club

As the 4th of July weekend gets closer, news in the NFL tends to get a little slower as teams get their final break before training camp starts towards the end of July.

Today there’s some news about Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, as reported by Pro Football Talk, who claims the QB once stiffed former running back Rahsard Mendenhall with a tab at a club that was a little out of control.

Here’s the story:

When the Steelers hear stories about Ben Roethlisberger in a bar, they have to hold their breath.

Actually, this one only ends up poorly for some rookie who went home with a big bar tab.

In a profile of former Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall in Men’s Journal, he mentioned that leaving a credit card with the quarterback was a bad idea.

Mendenhall recalled that rookies are expected to throw a party at the beginning of the season, and it apparently was a big one for some unfortunate offensive lineman.

“Ben just did the whole thing,” Mendenhall said “One night — the rookie ended up with a $25,000 bill from the club.”

As rookie initiations go, that’s probably not the worst possible outcome, so long as it was a high enough draft pick whose signing bonus could cover the tab. But it was also an expensive lesson in trusting the Steeler with the most expensive contract.