When you’re drafted into the AFC North, your friends and enemies are decided for you. At least, that’s how it used to be. If you’re drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, you hate the Baltimore Ravens. And the Ravens hate you. Or that’s how it feels on the field, at least.
Perhaps nobody got a more ungracious welcome to the rivalry than former Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall, who had his shoulder broken by none other than Hall of Fame ILB Ray Lewis on the first play of the second half. Though he’s told the story before, he went into more detail about the background on the Raw Room podcast—explaining that he knew who was meeting in the hole, only he felt a certain obligation to step up to the plate.