Joey Porter

Team(s)

Date of birth	March 22, 1977
Place of birth	Bakersfield, California
Position(s)	Linebacker
College	Colorado State
Draft	1999 / round 3
Pro Bowlsghs	2002, 2004, 2005
Statistics	NFL.com
1999-Present	Pittsburgh Steelers

Joey Eugene Porter (born March 22, 1977 in Bakersfield, California) is an NFL linebacker who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He attended Colorado State University. Porter is co-captain of the Steelers' defense. Porter is often known for his use of "trash-talking", which he uses as a tool to pump his teammates up and get into his opponents' heads. One of Joey's greatest feats was collecting 3 sacks and 2 interceptions in a game against the Oakland Raiders in 2002.

On Thursday, September 7, 2006, in the 2006 kickoff game at home in a 28-17 win against the Miami Dolphins, Porter made a first quarterback sack on Dolphins QB Daunte Culpepper which made him 5th on the Steelers All-Time Sacks List with 54 sacks, while surpassing Greg Lloyd.

Sports Illustrated named Porter the "Most Feared Man In the NFL" for 2006.

Controversy

Porter has been known for his conflicts with other players, league officials, and other teams.

Porter was ejected from a 2004 game against the Cleveland Browns after getting into a fistfight with Browns running back William Green. Green was also ejected for this altercation.
Porter is known to taunt other teams during warmups, as in the Green altercation.
Before Pittsburgh's 2005 divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts, Porter commented:

"They don't want to just sit there, line up and play football. They want to try to catch you off guard. They don't want to play smash-mouth football, they want to trick you. ...They want to catch you substituting. Know what I mean? They don't want to just call a play, get up there and run a play. They want to make you think. They want it to be a thinking game instead of a football game."^[1]

After the Indianapolis game, Porter claimed that the referees had unfairly called an interception by Troy Polamalu an incompletion because they favored the Colts, stating, "The whole world wanted Indy to win so bad, they were going to do whatever they had to do."^[2] Although Porter was expected to be fined for these comments, he never was, perhaps because the NFL later condemned the official's decision.^[3]
In the weeks before Super Bowl XL Porter was angered by comments made by Seattle Seahawks Tight End Jerramy Stevens. Stevens was quoted as saying that "The story of Jerome Bettis returning to his hometown {Detroit} is heartwarming, but it's going be a sad day when he doesn't walk away with that trophy." Porter responded by saying that comments such as those made by Stevens only helped him to prepare for the upcoming game. Stevens mused at Porter's comments and went on to catch his team's only touchdown.
In a twist of irony, Jerramy Stevens was the intended receiver on the last offensive play for the Seahawks on a fourth down with eight seconds left in the game. As the Matt Hasselbeck pass reached Stevens, Porter and teammate Brian McFadden landed a ball-jarring hit on Stevens near the goal-line, which evidently left him to drop the last-ditch pass and end the drive. This last drop signified his disapointing performance in the Super Bowl, marred with crucial drops.
Leading up to the Steelers' traditional Super Bowl Champions visit to the White House on June 2, 2006, Porter generated headlines by suggesting that he would criticize President Bush. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted him as saying: "Yeah, I got something to say to Bush, I'm going to have a swagger when I walk in there, too," Porter said, laughing loudly. "I'm looking forward to it. I have something to tell him, too. I don't like the way things are running right now. I feel like he has to give me some of my money back, so I got something to tell Bush." The Steelers later released a statement saying that Porter had been joking and that he meant no disrespect. At the White House, in an effort to downplay the controversy, he was put as far as possible from the president on the bleachers behind him, in the back row on the right, wearing sunglasses.
Porter gets fined for every game that he wears his yellow gloves. Even though they are the team's color, the league still does not allow his yellow gloves to be worn.
He was shot on the left side of his buttocks in 2003, in Denver. He was in town for the Colorado State University/ University of Colorado football game.
On September 21, 2006, his two dogs (a mastiff and a pit bull) got loose and killed a neighbor's 29 inch miniature horse. [4]
Porter was voted as the second-dirtiest player in the NFL in a 2006 players' poll [5]
On December 7, 2006, following a victory over the Cleveland Browns, Porter made controversial comments against Browns' tight end Kellen Winslow Jr regarding a late hit penalty he committed against Steelers linebacker James Farrior.

  "It was late, that's what fags do. He's soft. He wants to be tough but he's really soft."
  [6]

Notes

^ "Colts choose their words carefully in response to Steelers". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ "Porter won't be fined for cheating remarks". FoxSports.com. Retrieved January 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ "NFL: Polamalu overturned interception the wrong call". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 7. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links