"When Rashard Mendenhall tweeted thoughts construed as being sympathetic to Osama bin Laden, his defenders (there are surprisingly many) positioned their argument as a free speech issue.

Sorry, but it's not even close.

Not one person on my radar has said that Mendenhall isn't entitled to opine however he sees fit. No one has suggested Mendenhall should be arrested and tried, treasonous though his tweets may be.

Hard to imagine that the founding fathers had seditious statements by a pro athlete in mind when they devised the First Amendment. It's still more difficult to believe that Mendenhall thinks his hypotheses on things political would matter to a large audience.

But he sure did attract one.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with free speech and everything to do with the reaction of those who employ Mendenhall.

Champion sports apparel released Mendenhall from his endorsement contract. A spokesman said Champion believes Mendenhall "could not appropriately represent Champion" after his tweets.

Mendenhall had every right to say what he did. But the First Amendment could not prevent Champion from firing Mendenhall.

So, do the Steelers feel Mendenhall appropriately represents them? Mendenhall is decent at his job, not exceptional. He plays one of the NFL's most interchangeable positions. What should the Steelers do?

By the time Ben Roethlisberger's suspension ended, Milledgeville had blown over. Roethlisberger had remarkably little commotion to battle.

Heat over l'affaire Mendenhall seems to be subsiding already, especially locally. Steeler Nation 1, our nation 0. This town knows its priorities.

But owner Dan Rooney is the U.S. ambassador to Ireland. He's Obama through and through. He stands red-faced in front of the commander-in-chief yet again. Don't forget, James Harrison snubbed the Steelers' White House visit in 2009.

If Rooney doesn't take this personally, he should. His son, team president Art II, was dumbfounded by Mendenhall's tweets.

Champion understood that Mendenhall was representing them, and decided to terminate that representation. Mendenhall still represents the Rooneys, the Steelers, Pittsburgh and all of you. Know that. No denying that."