Steelers linebackers refute negative portrayal of Joey Porter by local beat reporter - ‘Oh so we just making up lies now’

The Pittsburgh Steelers decision to allow the contract of linebackers coach Joey Porter to expire this offseason was not a great surprise when it was announced last week, but the words that followed from a local beat reporter as a reason for his effective dismissal were.

According to Mike Prisuta, a writer for the team’s own website among other publications and a WDVE radio host, the motivation behind letting Porter go may have been less about his coaching talents and more about the way he negatively impacted the locker room.

For a man who was known as the emotional leader of the defense for most of his eight years as a player in Pittsburgh, someone who had close relationships with an number of his offense teammates, the notion that Porter presence was damaging to team harmony was strange to hear.

However, if the players that worked with him every day are to be believed, the tale that Prisuta was told is actually far from the truth.

With Porter already out of the door and nothing to be gained by sticking up for a coach who has already lost the support of management, it is hard to believe that so many of his linebackers would speak out in his defense if they were not telling the truth. If nothing else, their actions speak to the loyalty Porter inspired in his players.

Regardless of the reasons for his dismissal, perhaps the bigger questions we should be asking about the complaints Prisuta aired on social media are - why were two offensive players anonymously bad mouthing a coach who just been fired?, and why was a reporter from the team’s own website the only one to hear these rumors?

Like many of the leaked reports that have emerged out of Pittsburgh from unnamed source as of late, there appears to be some debate about the integrity of the initial information. But sadly, that seems to be par for the course when it comes to the Steelers these days.