Allegheny County D.A. Zappala outrages Pittsburgh police in Joey Porter case, caves to Steeler pressure

… Steelers become poster boys for coaching misbehavior 

Generally, district attorneys support the police since they are supposedly on the same side of law enforcement.

Not Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.

Zappala made a controversial decision on Thursday that has outraged the Pittsburgh police and has unleashed a torrent of anger because of what occurred in the case of Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Joey Porter, who was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, defiant trespass and public drunkenness for his actions after the game last Sunday against Miami.

Zappala, however, shocked the police when he and his staff unilaterally decided to speed up the process and not prosecute Porter on the most serious charges in the case. He did this without talking with any of the police officers at the scene, with the doorman who was preventing Porter from entering the bar, with the other employees of the bar who witnessed the incident, or even with Porter himself.

He and his staff just watched the video and made their decision.

And the decision stinks, reeks to high heaven of the pressure from moneyed interests in the city who will stand up for the team regardless of how sleazy the situation was.

On Friday, Porter changed his story

Making things worse for Zappala is the fact that Porter Friday night released a statement in which he contradicted what he had told police on Sunday night.

Porter told Pittsburgh police officers on Sunday after his arrest that he had told arresting officer Paul Abel, "You're lying. I never touched you," according to the police complaint.

Now, however, Porter is saying this, according to Ralph Iannotti of KDKA-TV. "Most importantly, I regret that I touched the police officer. And I sincerely apologize for that action."

So, why did Porter lie to the police about that? According to his lawyer, it was a mistake in the heat of the moment.

According to Iannotti, "How do you reconcile the two seemingly contradictory statements? Porter attorney, Robert Del Greco, told me that because of the crowd and all that was going on at the time, Porter didn't realize he touched the officer until he saw the video."

Oops, the video changed his mind? Was this the same video that Zappala watched?

The truth is that Porter probably did not remember because he was severely intoxicated, but of course, Zappala could not smell his breath on the video, as the arresting officers could.

Steelers clueless about their reputation

Making things worse, the most clueless NFL administrator in the league made a decision to reinstate Porter after suspending him indefinitely on Monday, using Zappala's decision as the rationale.

Because of Art Rooney II's decision, the cameras on Sunday night will be panning the Steeler sideline and resting on Porter, showing how serious Coach Mike Tomlin was when he said that "Coaching in the NFL is a privilege."

It is such a privilege that the legal authorities take special care of you.

Remember that Porter still has two charges pending against him, and this suspension could serve as a humbling lesson for him after he embarrassed the franchise on a national level.

The Steelers have now become the poster boys for coaching misbehavior, sort of an Animal House staff.

Can you imagine what Chuck Noll would have done in a similar situation? Or what Dan Rooney would have done?

I can, and it would not have been what the current CEO and coach did.

Pittsburgh police outraged

While acting Police Chief Scott Schubert refused to hammer the D.A. on the decision, his statement made clear that he strongly disagreed with the D.A.'s move. "I stand by the officer just as I would stand by any officer given the same circumstances. I reviewed it [the surveillance video] and I don't think anything was done inappropriate[ly]."

The arresting officer and the president of the Pittsburgh Fraternal Order of Police, Bob Swartzwelder, were both very critical of the decision. Swartzwelder told KDKA radio personality Marty Griffin that it was "ridiculous" and "outrageous," according to KDKA's Iannotti. He condemned the speed of the proceeding since the preliminary hearing will be held next week. Why not wait until then to make a decision about the charges?

It's all about the money. "If this was some poor kid from a disadvantaged neighborhood, I would surely hope that the district attorney would show them the same expediency that they showed in this particular case," Swartzwelder said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Big money talks.

Arresting officer angry about Zappala decision

The officer who said in the complaint that he was assaulted by Porter was upset with Zappala's decision. "I feel very disrespected," Paul Abel said on the KDKA radio show. "And I actually want to withdraw all of the charges now and let you guys see it [the tapes] and let you guys judge. I'd rather you guys judge from here on out."

Abel wants the surveillance videos -- all of them, including his body camera -- released. Schubert said that they will be once the criminal process is completed. If Porter pleads guilty next week, then the case will be over.

Don't hold your breath. His lawyer may try to plead no contest or get him off completely, using his buddy Zappala to pull the strings. Do not be surprised is everything if the remaining charges are pulled at or before the prelim.

Should Steeler owners fire Rooney?

One of the interesting aspects of the new Steeler ownership is that Dan and Art II own only 31 percent of the team. The rest of the Rooneys have sold most of their shares of the team, meaning that there are many people today with shares who are not Rooneys.

The McGinley family, which was close with Art Sr. and had 20 percent ownership, has now sold most of its shares.

Those people may not be as pleased with Art II as the previous ownership, and he could be replaced as CEO.

Perhaps that is just my dream, but better management decisions could help avoid embarrassing debacles like the Porter reinstatement case, which will continue to give them a black eye for a while. If Rooney had just kept the suspension in place for one game, he would have some respect. Now, it looks like the Steelers strong-armed the D.A. -- maybe even through the mayor -- to get Porter's charges reduced. It reeks.

Fan for 62 years

I have been a Steeler fan since the mid-1950s when they were horrible. They were always my team.

However, I find it more difficult to root for this organization. I cannot pick one player on the team that I would say is a great role model. A few years ago, I could, but not now.

And with their lack of discipline, both from management and coaches, I find it difficult to think of this franchise in the same way as I did for so long. Even during the losing years, we always had character.

I should be rooting like crazy for us to beat Kansas City and then roll into Foxboro to defeat the Patriots.

In truth, I could care less. That is not just because of Joey Porter, but it is symptomatic of something deeper.

Zappala in trouble

For Steve Zappala, this controversy is not going away. You stiff the police at your peril. It is happening across the country, but this is the first time that it became an issue in Pittsburgh.