When he took over as head coach of the Steelers after Bill Cowher in 2007, one of the first things Mike Tomlin did was release star linebacker Joey Porter.
It was effectively a salary cap-related move, but Tomlin also wanted to open room for James Harrison to start and clear out a player whose loyalties clearly were with Cowher.
Friday, he effectively fired Porter a second time.
Tomlin announced Porter would not be returning to the Steelers in 2019 as outside linebackers coach, ending his time in that position after five sometimes tumultuous seasons.
"I have informed outside linebackers coach Joey Porter that we will not renew his contract," Tomlin said in a statement released by the team. "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."
Porter was hired by the Steelers in 2014 as an assistant to then-linebackers coach Keith Butler to work with the team's outside linebackers. More specifically, he was brought in to try to get more out of 2013 first-round draft pick Jarvis Jones, a star pass-rusher in college who just couldn't seem to translate those skills to the NFL.
Porter was elevated to the title of outside linebackers coach in 2015 when Butler replaced Dick LeBeau as defensive coordinator.
Porter was handed first-round draft picks again in 2015 (Bud Dupree) and 2017 (T.J. Watt). While Dupree has been a starter during that time period, he hasn't developed as the Steelers would like, while Watt, in his second season, is a rising star. He recorded 13 sacks in 2018.
Dupree and Watt combined for 18.5 sacks in 2018, the most by a Steelers' outside linebacker duo since LaMarr Woodley and Harrison had 20.5 in 2010.
But there also were numerous issues that surrounded Porter.
During a 2016 playoff game in Cincinnati, he went onto the field following a penalty on Vontaze Burfict for an illegal head shot to Antonio Brown. As Brown was being helped from the field, Porter and Bengals cornerback Adam Jones had words and Jones went after Porter, drawing another penalty flag that helped set up the Steelers' game-winning field goal.
The NFL passed a rule that offseason that prohibits assistant coaches from entering the playing field. Porter was fined $10,000 for the incident.
He also was arrested and briefly placed on leave by the team following an arrest Jan. 9, 2017 outside a bar on Carson Street in the week leading up to a playoff game in Kansas City. Felony charges were eventually dropped and Porter received only a summary offense for the incident, which involved an off-duty police officer.
Porter also presided over the end of Harrison's career with the Steelers, which ended badly with claims from other players, including Dupree, saying Harrison slept through position meetings and was otherwise disruptive during the 2017 season before his eventual release.
Drafted by the Steelers in 1999, Porter emerged as a star outside linebacker with the team at the end of Cowher's tenure. He had nine or more sacks four times in his eight seasons in Pittsburgh.
But he also always seemed to be at the center of a controversy, from his dogs escaping from his home and killing a neighbor's miniature horse, to a pre-game fight in Cleveland during warmups with Browns running back William Green. He also famously got into a war of words with then Seattle tight end Jerramy Stevens in the week before the Steelers beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.
After his release by the Steelers in 2007, he played five more seasons for Miami and Arizona, recording an NFL-best and career-high 17.5 sacks for the Dolphins in 2008.
