Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced the team will not
be renewing outside linebackers coach Joey Porter‘s contract, according sources
“I have informed
outside linebackers coach Joey Porter that we will not renew his contract,”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “These are difficult decisions
when it comes to someone like Joey who has meant a lot to this organization as
both a player and coach. I want to thank Joey for his coaching efforts over the
past five years on our defensive staff. We wish him the best in his future
coaching career.”
On the surface, the move seems like an odd one, seeing how
the Steelers led the league in sacks in each of the past two seasons and
finished third in 2015, Porter’s first year on the job. One possible
explanation is the move could’ve come from above Mike Tomlin, with an ownership
looking to send a message, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
Florio notes that nowhere in Tomlin’s statement does the
coach say that he initiated the move and cites Bruce Arians’ retirement in 2012
as precedent for such a move.
However, Porter has been a distraction off the field during
his tenure. In 2017, the former Steelers linebacker was arrested for public
drunkenness and assault, but the charges were dropped. In the past postseason,
he also got into it with cornerback Adam Jones during a game.
No comments:
Post a Comment