Will Rooney fire Joey Porter? Not likely

… has been placed on leave 

At one time, the Pittsburgh Steelers were a step above most NFL teams when it came to character issues. That was before current CEO Art Rooney II took over in 2003.

In fact, Dan Rooney was a tough negotiator even when the issue was not one of character. When future NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris was close to setting a new NFL career rushing mark in 1984, just 363 yards away from the legendary Jim Brown's all-time record, the running back asked for a raise. Rooney instead shipped the former Super Bowl MVP and catcher of the Immaculate Reception off to Seattle, where his quest died after playing just eight games.

Rooney did the same with Alan Faneca and Rod Woodson when they asked for raises.

The message was clear: You do not challenge the Rooneys.

Today, this Rooney is a milquetoast, hardly a chip of the old block of his namesake grandfather and team founder and his father.

So, will Art II fire Joey Porter for embarrassing the team after the wild-card win over Miami on Sunday?

Joey's arrest

Porter was arrested at approximately 9:30 p.m. last night outside a bar on the South Side of Pittsburgh called The Flats on Carson Street, according to a statement by the Pittsburgh Police Department. He was not being allowed into the establishment by a security guard who alleged that Porter gad threatened to kill him on a previous occasion.

The altercation was noticed by an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer who was working as a security man at another bar located near The Flats. That officer, Paul Abel, attempted to dissuade an obviously-intoxicated Porter from battling the security officer for the Flats.

Abel, who said that he is 5-6 and 150 pounds, attempted to pull Porter off the guard, but the 6-3, 260-pound Steeler coach instead grabbed his wrists "so tightly that I could not pull them away from him, no matter how hard I tried," according to the police complaint filed by Abel.

According to the AP, "Porter was charged with aggravated assault for his alleged contact with the officer, simple assault on the doorman, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, defiant trespass and public drunkenness."

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Steeler General Manager Kevin Colbert said, "We are continuing to gather information concerning Sunday night's incident involving Joey Porter. We have been and will continue to be in communication with the NFL as is required by the Personal Conduct Policy. Pending further review, Joey Porter has been placed on leave. At this time, we will move forward with our preparations for the Divisional Round playoff game at Kansas City."

Steeler players have told the Post-Gazette that the arrest is not a distraction, but it is. You cannot avoid it. Your outside linebackers coach was arrested and then suspended by the team. That is a distraction, though it will probably have little effect on the preparation of the team for the game.

Not the first time

The Tribune-Review noted that Porter has a background in which he has been arrested before. Here is their list:

"Porter was arrested in December 2014 in Bakersfield, Calif., on a felony warrant from Clark County, Nev., for writing a check for nonsufficient funds.

In 2010, in his hometown of Bakersfield, Porter was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and accused of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. Charges later were dropped.

In 2007, while playing for the Dolphins, Porter was issued a summons on a misdemeanor battery charge after an altercation at a Las Vegas casino.

In September 2006, Porter was cited when two of his dogs got loose from his Pine home and killed a miniature horse at a neighbor's farm."

The only one there that should have been a concern when Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin recommended to Rooney that Porter be hired in 2013 was the arrest for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest after being stopped for an apparent DUI.

That was later dismissed, but it could have been red flag. Perhaps Porter has a drinking problem. Perhaps a stint in alcohol rehab could save his job. Perhaps it is time to realize that Porter has not done a very good job with the outside linebackers in his three years. Jarvis Jones has been a joke and the only one who has been impressive has been 38-year-old James Harrison, and his success had nothing to do with Joey Porter.

Steelers have helped problem players

The Steelers had one instance in which a member of the front four, Ernie Holmes, took a shot at a police helicopter in Ohio in 1973. He was convicted and placed on probation after being diagnosed with acute paranoid psychosis, according to SteelersDepot.com. The Rooneys paid for his psychological help and did not dismiss him from the team at that time.

So, perhaps they should do the same with Porter, though the cases are different and Porter is a coach. Coaches are still considered to be role models, so that is also a factor.

Conclusion

Rooney will wait until the NFL takes action against Porter before doing anything other than the suspension. Porter may not coach again this season, but he will probably not be fired. Tomlin will go to the wall for Porter, despite his lack of coaching success, and Rooney will back down.

However, the best approach would probably be the alcohol rehab route since Porter does appear to have some continuing problems in that area.