"It's conceivable that Rashard Mendenhall could have lowered the temperature on his controversial tweets if he had argued that posts of Osama bin Laden's death was misunderstood.

Perhaps, his insinuation that 9/11 was more conspiracy than an act of terrorism would have quickly faded if the oft-enigmatic running back had opted to defuse the issue with a passionate rant of remorse.

Instead, the mercurial spark plug who helped ignite the Steelers' Super Bowl run in 2010 repeatedly sidestepped questions Friday about the clearly coherent posts from a Twitter account he seemingly regrets opening.

"It's not been an issue," Mendenhall told reporters after the morning walk-through. "I've addressed that with clarifications."

Mendenhall wouldn't confirm or deny he's discussed the issue with coaches and management prior to arriving at St. Vincent College for the first day of training camp Thursday, three days after representatives of the NFL Players Association ratified the collective bargaining agreement.

And he didn't flinch with persistent inquiries concerning his tweets. Like a skilled politician, the steely-eyed Mendenhall shifted the conversation.

"It's all about football now," Mendenhall said. "I'm not even into Twitter anymore."

However, Mendenhall grudgingly conceded that some Steelers' fans will have a difficult time letting go of the inflammatory rhetoric that forced the hand of team president Art Rooney Jr., who said in a statement, "... it is hard to explain or even comprehend what he meant with his recent Twitter comments."

If Mendenhall appeared stoically unapologetic, it shouldn't have caught anyone by surprise, according to running back Isaac Redman.

"Rashard is most definitely going to speak his mind," Redman said. "But that doesn't mean he's the bad person some people are trying to make him out to be. He's one of the better guys I've met in my life.

"Rashard doesn't drink. He doesn't do a lot of things. He felt strongly about a certain situation, so he just spoke his mind. In the end, it was blown out of proportion."