Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebackers coach, Joey Porter has returned to the team after a Pennsylvania district attorney dropped his assault charges from an alleged incident in a Pittsburgh bar on Sunday night.
“At this time, we have decided that Joey Porter will return to our coaching staff for the game in Kansas City this weekend,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “We have reviewed the available information regarding the incident that took place on Sunday night. We have also reviewed the communication from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office indicating the intention of that office to withdraw all but the summary offense charges. As an organization, we have great respect for the job the City of Pittsburgh Police perform for our community. We also respect the fact that there are ongoing legal proceedings stemming from the incident. We will await the outcome of the legal process and communicate further with the NFL regarding the Personal Conduct Policy before making any further decisions on potential discipline.”
Porter also released a statement of his own on Friday morning.
“I am grateful to be allowed to return to our coaching staff this weekend,” Porter said. “I regret that I was involved in an incident that could have been a distraction to our team. Most importantly, I regret that I touched the police officer and I sincerely apologize for that action. Thankfully, no one was injured.”
These statements came a day after the Allegheny County District Attorney announced that they would drop their charges of aggravated assault and simple assault coming from Porter’s arrest on Sunday.
Porter played 13 seasons in the NFL, eight of them with the Steelers organization. He is in his second season as a position coach in Pittsburgh.
Earlier this week, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said coaches should be held to a higher standard and this would not be a distraction to their team.
“To be involved in the National Football League is an honor and a privilege, it’s not a right. We should respect it as such,” Tomlin said. “Obviously that was breached in that circumstance and there are consequences to be suffered because of it.”
