By Lisa Zimmerman, Player Engagement Insider
Rashard Mendenhall always knew he wanted to play in the NFL. He also knew that, in some way, shape or form, he would become a writer. To date, he has accomplished both.
Baron Batch always knew he wanted to play in the NFL. He also knew that in some way, shape or form he would become an artist. To date, he has accomplished both.
And now, after working together in the NFL, Mendenhall and Batch have moved on to the next phase of their lives where they are once again teammates producing a documentary on Batch called, “The Hustler.”
“[Batch] constantly overcame and figured out a way to make things happen,” Mendenhall said. “It starts with his life, growing up on a dirt farm in Texas. His mom died at a young age. They almost had to amputate his foot. There were a lot of things that would have taken other people out. But he’s constantly fought and fought. Even making it to the NFL wasn’t supposed to happen. And now he’s pursuing his passion.”
The paths of these two former running backs were different. Illinois native Mendenhall was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick out of the University of Illinois in the 2008 NFL Draft while Texas native Batch was a seventh-round selection out of Texas Tech in 2011. However, when Mendenhall and Batch met during Batch’s rookie year, the two creative kindred spirits quickly became friends. Both continued to pursue their other passions while playing and both stepped away from the game following the 2013 season.
Since his teens, Mendenhall had written in a variety of forms including short stories, poetry and music lyrics. Eventually he started a blog, which caught the eye of the producers at the HBO series “Ballers,” a fictional comedy set with the lives of current and former professional football players as its backdrop. Mendenhall was offered a three-week contract to write for the show. But HBO liked what they saw and Mendenhall was soon a permanent member of the “Ballers” writing team, which has completed season one and is heading into season two.
Meanwhile, Batch has moved ahead pursuing not only his art, but life as an entrepreneur, in Pittsburgh. He owns Studio AM, which he designed as a collaborative space to be used for a variety of creative endeavors, both of his own and others. It features a restaurant space where Batch also sells his own line of salsa. He of course continues his artistic pursuits, which include not only painting and photography, but writing as well.
Batch’s story had long intrigued Mendenhall so the two decided to collaborate on producing the documentary. Completion of the production is expected to be in June 2016, followed by the editing process. Mendenhall financed the film himself and is in talks with distributors.
The project has proved to be an interesting exercise as their backgrounds as athletes have influenced how they operate in other settings. The two have a unique communication style, created from their experience in football, which sometimes confuses those around them.
“Sometimes people think we’re fighting because we’re yelling,” Batch said with a laugh. “But when you play football you learn to communicate with no emotion – it’s all about the end goal. It’s nothing you can take personally; you just have to process it. When most people communicate, a certain percentage of that discussion is being said from a certain place with emotion. In football you get used to coaches being in your face. You don’t hear the yelling, you hear the critique.”
As the producer and director, Mendenhall finds himself in a new role where he has much broader responsibilities. He is learning on-the-go how to apply his existing skills to this new position.
“The simple part of the transition has been the level of work, the discipline,” he said. “The challenging part is the dealing with people. In football you only have to account for yourself and your job. You have teammates but everyone does a specific job. Now I have to count on people to come through. I have to expand out and work out things beyond myself.”
While many initially consider the juxtaposition of athletics and creative endeavors an incongruous one, Batch and Mendenhall see it quite differently.
“Athleticism and creativity, in a large way, are the exact same thing,” Batch said. “Literally, by definition. “It’s discipline, it’s conceptualization of what you need to accomplish, practicing what you’re not good at. I feel like when you’re in the sports realm it’s discouraged for you to think for yourself because you’re part of a collective team. But at the same time it gives you all the traits and skills you need to succeed creatively.”
Both men also want to convey to their peers that there can be an equally rewarding and successful life after the NFL as there was during it and those playing years can provide an invaluable foundation.
“I just knew that the NFL was going to happen and I was going to work toward that,” Mendenhall said. “But I also always thought about once that was done, what would it be a platform for? This is where I’m at now and it’s cool to be able to do these things that I’m interested in.”
Lisa Zimmerman is a long-time NFL writer and reporter. She was the Jets correspondent for CBSSports.com, SportsNet New York’s TheJetsBlog.com and Sirius NFL Radio. She has also written for NFL.com.