Larry Brown Sports

Former NFL loudmouth Joey Porter was released from jail on Monday, three days after being arrested for writing bad checks to the Hard Rock casino in Las Vegas.

According to The Bakersfield Californian, Porter was arrested in Bakersfield on a felony warrant from Clark County, Nev., following a traffic stop on Friday. The warrant was for writing $70,000 in bad checks to the casino.

TMZ reports that Porter wrote eight checks to the casino between June 30, 2012 and July 1, 2012. Three checks were for $10,000, four were for $5,000, and the final check was for $20,000. The checks were written in exchange for cash and /or gambling chips. The problem arose when the casino attempted to cash the checks and was informed that the bank refused to pay the money because Porter had put a stop payment on them.

Porter was facing felony theft and fraud charges, but he reportedly paid the casino back all the money and was released from jail as a result.

Porter, who was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker during his 13-year NFL career, has a history of misbehaving in Las Vegas. You may recall that in 2007 he was cited for misdemeanor battery after getting into a fight with offensive lineman Levi Jones inside the Palms. He sure knows how to keep his name in the news.

Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas/US Presswire

With Peyton Manning’s arrival, the Broncos will try to properly dispose the previous QB1, Tim Tebow. Denver is reportedly looking to trade Tebow, and a handful of teams are reportedly already interested. But Cardinals linebacker Joey Porter still isn’t buying any Tebow stock and likened him to a certain teenage pop star who likes to say “baby.”

“Anybody who brings him in right now, you would think they’re trying to do it for ticket sales,” Porter said Monday night on NFL Network. “So it’s just like, it’s good to have a Justin Bieber because you’re gonna get a whole lot of (fans). That’s what I compare it to. He’s the Justin Bieber of the NFL.”

It sounds awfully similar to the sentiment Antonio Cromartie also expressed regarding Tebow. But in his own weird way, Porter isn’t wrong. Tebow obviously currently lacks fundamental quarterback skills. There’s room for improvement, but it’s not going to happen overnight. And yet, it’s been reported that the struggling Jaguars have interest in Tebow mainly because he would provide a much-needed boost to their slumping attendance numbers.

It’s pretty sound marketing strategy, but what if Tebow isn’t able to recapture his magic from last year? The Jaguars would eventually be back again to playing in an empty stadium already half-covered by tarps. Maybe then they’d better off signing the actual Justin Bieber.

H/T Sportress of Blogitude via Off the Bench
Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire

Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter better be giving us some solid bulletin board material considering he hasn’t performed too well on the field since signing with Miami. With the Dolphins set to face the Patriots this weekend, Porter was popping off as is his want, angling most of his barbs towards Matt Cassel. Though Cassel has as many wins as Porter has since signing with the Dolphins last year (and in only one career start), Porter didn’t hesitate to rip the young QB a new one:

“I just know he’s not a Tom Brady,” Porter said. “So if it’s not Tom Brady, it shouldn’t be that hard.”

“You treat him like you treat a backup,” Porter said. “How do you prepare for a backup? He don’t get that many snaps, right? So you throw the kitchen sink at him. That’s what we’re going to do.”
…
“He’s a guy we’ll prepare for, but that was his first start since high school,” Porter said. “So you can take all the reps you want to. This is a totally different game, a totally different league. He’s only had one start in the NFL. Take that for what it’s worth. He won it, but if you compare him to Brady, there’s no comparison.

“You can say whatever you want to put with it. Those are just the facts. That’s what it is. It means what it means.”

I was with Porter up until the part where he said it would be fun to get his team’s first win of the season on Sunday. I guess he’s forgetting that football’s an 11-man game on both sides, and the other 21 Dolphins that play aren’t as good as the Pats for the most part. I think he’s a wee bit mistaken about that part — probably the most crucial factor. I can’t imagine however that the Tuna’s too happy about Porter stirring the pot. I wonder how long Joey’s going to last in Miami at the rate he’s popping off.

The Big Lead came up with a huge find — apparently 6’5″ 305lb OL Levi Jones of the Bengals and 6’3″ 250lb LB Joey Porter of the Dolphins got into a rumble in Las Vegas. Norm Clarke of Vegas Confidential explains:

A fist fight between two NFL players broke out in the Palms casino on Sunday night, sources said. Joey Porter, an All-Pro linebacker who recently left the Pittsburgh Steelers to join the Miami Dolphins, brawled with Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Levi Jones, at about 6 p.m. at a blackjack table in the casino.Jones, who suffered scratches, told Las Vegas police he would be filing charges against Porter. Sources said there has been bad blood between the two.

Of course we all know how the whole thing started — Porter’s pit bull attacked Levi for no reason.

UPDATE: Porter has been cited for misdemeanor battery which apparently means a police officer saw him hit Jones.