Joey Porter Reportedly Banned from Speaking to Media by Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebackers coach Joey Porter played a pivotal role in the team's 18-16 Wild Card Round win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but the organization is keeping the former four-time Pro Bowler under wraps.

According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers are not permitting the media to speak to Porter following his involvement in a pivotal moment in the playoff clash.

After Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was slapped with a personal foul for hitting Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown in the head, Bengals cornerback Adam Jones picked up an additional personal foul for his interaction with Porter, who was on the field while Brown was being tended to.

That allowed Pittsburgh to kick a game-winning field goal and move on to the divisional round.

The Steelers have provided no explanation for why Porter was on the field at the time.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, there was more to the flag on Jones than Porter's involvement, as it was deemed that he bumped a field judge, which contributed to the call.

Jones acknowledged the officials' explanation on The Dan Patrick Show, but he also made it clear why he was so upset at the time, per ESPN's Coley Harvey.

"They said I made contact with the ref," Jones said. "I was pointing at Porter, saying, 'Why is he on the field?' I asked the head ref why he was on the field. He couldn't give me an answer. ... He wasn't with the player who got hurt."

According to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Jones wasn't the only one angry about Porter's actions, as Bengals offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth also sounded off:

While assistant coaches generally aren't allowed on the field, Rapoport reported that the officials made an exception for Porter due to concern regarding Brown's health, although he wasn't tending to Brown at the time of Jones' personal foul.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Porter is expected to be fined by the NFL despite the exception.

While the personal foul on Burfict put the Steelers in field-goal position, Jones' personal foul essentially sealed the Bengals' fate after they had made a remarkable comeback to take a 16-15 lead.

Cincinnati still would have had an opportunity to pull it out if not for that second penalty, especially since a highly compromised Ben Roethlisberger was under center for the Steelers with a shoulder injury.

The Bengals lost their cool late in the game, and while it's possible that Porter played a role in goading Jones into the decisive penalty, the Steelers are making sure that ambiguity remains.

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