The PG editors got it right on this one:

WHO SAID TALK is cheap? Probably not Steelers linebacker Joey Porter. On Thursday, the National Football League fined him $10,000 for calling a Cleveland Browns player a derogatory term associated with gay men. (Earlier in the season, he was fined $15,000 for other comments made to an official in a game at Atlanta). To his credit, the Steelers player apologized for the anti-gay remark to anyone who was offended -- anyone, that is, except the target of his wrath, Kellen Winslow. Unfortunately, that is part of the problem -- an insult draws from a common pool of prejudice and a player can't throw it at one person without splattering the larger group. Not too long ago, anti-gay slurs were part of the common language of men's sports, but then so were racist remarks. The NFL is right not to tolerate hate-filled words of any sort.

Interesting aside ...Leo Patterson of Derry took the time to write in to the Trib and share his belief that the media has made a mountain out of a molehill on this issue.

Enough is enough. No one in this country has a right to not be offended. Winslow got over it. Any other "victims" can tell Oprah how Joey's comment impacted their already pathetic lives.

He couldn't just leave it at "get over it" could he?  He just couldn't resist the little underhanded "you pathetic loser" slam!  This is Joey Porter's fan base. 

Joey Porter thinks he's being treated too harshly for describing Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow as a "fag" following a recent game.  Apparently, Porter grew up in the neighborhood where men don't take responsibility for their actions, but point their fingers and petulantly stomp their feet when they are called on the carpet for misbehavior.  Here's Joey from Friday's Post-Gazette:

"I just don't understand how you can get a DUI or fail a drug test and nothing happens," Porter said. "You say something, you get fined. That just don't make any sense.

"You'd think if you get a DUI or something, you should get fined. If you fail a drug test, you should get fined. But for saying a word, you get fined. That's kind of backward to me."

While it is an interesting point, I doubt Joey is leading the charge against drug and alcohol abuse in the NFL.  He's just deflecting attention and trying to minimize the seriousness of his offense.  

Joey also thinks its the media's fault. 

"There was enough publicity about it," Porter said. "Y'all keep talking about it. Y'all going to make them do something. If y'all wouldn't have just kept talking about it, [the fine] wouldn't have happened. Y'all need a story so you keep talking about it. So they say, all right, let's fine him then because everybody seems to be upset about it."

Earlier in the week, he blames his childhood b/c "everybody used that word."  Today its the media. How much longer til he actually blames the gay community?  Note how he thinks his fans are simple sheep without the capacity to recognize a slanderous comment when they hear one. 

But in one sense, the fans are to blame.  Whether Hollywood or professional sports, we create these meglomaniacal bastards to keep us entertained and amused vis a vis the cult of celebrity.  Pay someone $14 kajillion for anything and it goes without saying that you've created hubris beyond all proportions of decency.  I'm sure that short of actually murdering someone - perhaps a child - in cold blood, these is little Joey Porter could do that would cause his fans to turn on him OR force him to grow up and act like a man instead of a spoiled little child.

Except lose football games.

Joey Porter's non-apology:

I would just like to say it was a poor choice of words in the comment I made toward Winslow," Porter said. "If I offended anybody, I apologize for that."

I guess how we used that word freely, me growing up using it, I didn't think nothing of it like that," Porter said. "Like I said, I apologize to anybody I offended on it.

Translation - it doesn't really matter if we offend homos but let's cover our asses with some lame quasi-apology. 

Note how Porter uses this as yet another opportunity to demonstrate his bad ass poseur street cred as demonstrated by intionally poor grammar and a complete failure to take responsibility for his actions.  Sort of like Santonio Holmes and domestic violence.  Minus the bruises.

PG sports columnist Ron Cook calls this particular Porterism the "worst of all" of his "macho, most-feared-man nonsense."  He also points out the obvious.

Porter has made millions from the Steelers and the NFL. He, like any player, coach, team official or league official, has to realize who makes all that jack possible. People from every race, religion, ethnic background and sexual orientation buy NFL tickets and merchandise. It's pretty stupid to use a derogatory term that's insulting to any group.

Bingo, Ron.  Trouble is the Steelers seems to care less about the money spent by domestic violence victims and the gay community. 

Hmmmm.   Thursday night the Steelers beat Cleveland in what turned out to be a good game (for us in Pittsburgh) played in frigid temperatures.  That wasn't good enough for hallowed Steeler linebacker Joey Porter.  Porter took umbrage with a late hit by Cleveland's Kellen Winslow on a Steeler player.

Here's the quote from the Tribune-Review minus the f-word:

"It was late, that's what (slur) do," Porter said. "He's soft. He wants to be tough but he's really soft."

Nice.  Fags hit late.  Who knew?

I caught this story on KDKA tonight (not up on the website yet).  Interesting how most people thought it was unsportsmanlike and "inappropriate" language.  No one was saying that about Michael Richards were they?  If a white player used a racial slur in the same situation, he'd be crucified. One guy said he didn't mind it all.  At least he's honest. 

Outsports has this comment:

Expect a public apology from Porter to "anyone who was offended" by this afternoon.

That about sums it up.  We aren't exactly the city of taking responsibility are we?