Report: Porter to retire
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By CALIFORNIAN STAFF REPORT
Local celebrity and NFL linebacker Joey Porter, a Foothill High graduate, is set to retire as a Pittsburgh Steeler, he told NFL.com on Wednesday.
Porter, a four-time All-Pro in 13 seasons with the Steelers, Dolphins and Cardinals, broke the news to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport at a celebrity golf tournament in Stateline, Nev., on the shores of Lake Tahoe.
"That's where I started at," Porter said. "It'll be an honor to go out there and retire as a Steeler. Started there, end there. Thirteen years. I never thought I'd play that long when I first started."
Porter, 35, played mostly running back at Foothill and defensive line at Colorado State before moving to outside linebacker with the Steelers. He racked up career totals of 170 starts, 667 tackles, 12 interceptions and 98 sacks -- seventh among active players.
He also won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers following the 2005 season.
"I plan on retiring this year," Porter told NFL.com. "I already talked to the Steelers, put some plans together on signing with the Steelers and retiring as a Steeler. It was a good career. I have no regrets about nothing."
Porter had spent the past two seasons in Arizona, but he missed eight games last year and finished the year on injured reserve with a knee injury that required surgery. Porter said that was directly related to his decision.
"Not being able to get 100 percent healthy to play at the level I am accustomed to playing at," he said. "The last two years, I tried to play and I wasn't out there as healthy as I've been in the past. This year, I knew my knee wasn't getting any better as far as this season. It made the decision kind of easy, actually."
Porter and his wife, Christy, and children Jacob, Jasmine, Jayla and Joey, Jr., still live in Bakersfield. They operate the Jasmine Nyree Day Center for special-needs children, and Joey holds a charity golf tournament and youth football camp each summer.
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