Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter placed on leave after arrest

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebackers coach Joey Porter had an unusual way of celebrating his team’s playoff win on Sunday.

Porter was arrested Sunday night after an altercation with a police officer, according to Beaver County Times reporter Chris Mueller. Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson Sonya Toler confirmed Porter had been arrested to KDKA in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers said they were aware of an incident involving Porter, according to BCT reporter Chris Bradford. They placed Porter on leave on Monday and released a statement from general manager Kevin Colbert. Via NFL.com, it read:

“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.”

The arrest came about six hours after the Steelers finished a 30-12 win over the Miami Dolphins in a wild-card playoff game.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had details of the arrest, via court documents. The newspaper said Porter argued with a doorman, identified as Jon Neskow, at a bar. When Pittsburgh police officer Paul Abel, who was on an off-duty assignment, arrived on the scene Porter was standing over the doorman.

“Last time you (Porter) were here, you threatened to kill me. You need to leave. You are not getting in,” the doorman said, according to the documents obtained by the Post-Gazette.

After some unidentified men apparently tried to lead Porter away, the complaint said “Porter lunged at Neskow and grasped Neskow by his arms and lifting him up off the ground.”

Porter was pulled off the doormen, then grabbed Officer Abel by the wrists.

“Porter informed me that he was not touching me, as he was still holding my wrists,” Abel wrote, according to the police report.

According to the Post-Gazette, Abel wrote that Porter then asked, “Did you hear what (Neskow) said to me?”

Porter said, according to the Post-Gazette, “You’re lying! I never touched you,” after he was handcuffed. Porter was arraigned early Monday morning on charges of assault, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Porter, who was a standout linebacker for the Steelers during his playing days, is no stranger to controversy. During his career he got into a fight at a Las Vegas casino with then-Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Levi Jones. In 2003, Porter was one of six people shot outside a bar in Colorado. In 2010 Porter was arrested on suspicion of DUI (those charges were dropped) and in 2012 he was arrested for allegedly writing a bad check. Last season he was in the middle of an on-field controversy when he was on the field and goaded Bengals cornerback Adam Jones into a personal foul penalty; the NFL changed its rules after that forbidding assistant coaches from being on the field.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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