Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
RAMESH SANTANAM
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers released outspoken veteran linebacker Joey Porter on Thursday.
The 29-year-old Porter, who was in the final year of his contract, had been the starting right outside linebacker since 2000, the year after he was drafted by the Steelers.
Porter was to receive a $1 million bonus on March 6, and was due to earn $4 million in 2007.
"It's a business decision that was made," Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said.
Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert said the salary cap was the reason Porter was cut.
Releasing Porter allows the Steelers to get under the NFL's $109 million salary cap by Friday, when the free agent signing period begins.
"Releasing a player like Joey Porter, who has meant so much to this franchise and helped us win a Super Bowl championship, is not an easy thing to do," Colbert said. "It's definitely a salary cap-related issue where we needed some short-term relief. But we also had to factor in what our cap situation's going to be in 2008 and 2009 and beyond. ... I'm sure Joey will attract a lot of interest (from other teams) very quickly."
Porter, who was signed through 2007, says there are no hard feelings.
"The organization has always been good to me," Porter said in a television interview. "It was a great run in Pittsburgh. I have no problem with them at all. I think it was a tough decision that they had to make, and it was one they had to make and they did it in the right way."
Porter, who played 122 games and made 106 starts, was an integral part of the Steelers' defense. An outspoken sack specialist - his 60 sacks rank fourth in team history - Porter's trash-talking was one of the subplots leading up to the 2006 Super Bowl, when the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks.
In the lead-up to the title game, Porter called the Seahawks' Jerramy Stevens "soft" and "a first-round bust."
In December, Porter was fined $10,000 by the NFL for what the league called "vulgar, inexcusable statements" after he made a derogatory slur questioning Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow's sexual orientation following a 27-7 win over the Browns.
Porter also recorded 498 tackles and 10 interceptions for the Steelers.
The Steelers also released injured running back Verron Haynes and offensive tackle Ulish Booker, who spent the 2006 season on the reserve/injured list.
Haynes, a fifth-round draft pick in 2002, played seven games in 2006 before being placed on the reserve/injured list after hurting his knee against Oakland in October. He rushed for 738 yards and three touchdowns on 174 carries in 60 games for the Steelers.
Colbert said the team will try to re-sign Haynes.
The Steelers also made tender offers to restricted free agents offensive tackle Max Starks and quarterback Brian St. Pierre.
Starks received a $1.83 million offer for 2007, which means the Steelers get a first-round draft pick if they decline to match any offer he gets from another team. St. Pierre was offered $850,000. If the team doesn't match any offer he gets from another team, the Steelers will get a fifth-round pick.