Joseph Eugene Porter Sr. (born March 22, 1977) is an American professional football coach and former player.

He played college football for the Colorado State Rams and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft.

His senior season, he led the team to a 9–2 mark and a berth in the sectional playoffs, rushing the ball 86 times for 1,086 yards.

He finished third in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A with a school single-season record-tying 15 sacks for minus 63 yards.

However, despite his similarities to Lloyd in terms of playing style and vocal leadership (or perhaps because of it), Porter changed his jersey number to 55 just before the start of the regular season in order to develop his own identity.

His first career sack came on Cleveland Browns quarterback Tim Couch on September 12, when he also forced a fumble on the play.

Against the Cincinnati Bengals on October 15, he registered eight tackles (seven solo), three sacks including one for a safety, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.

While Porter would be penalized for roughing the punter, Gardocki briefly laid motionless, then subsequently flipped the middle finger twice to Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.

Porter had a career day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21, 2001, recording six tackles, four sacks and a pass deflected while earning American Football Conference (AFC) Defensive Player of the Week honors.

He missed the season finale against the Browns – the first time he failed to play in his NFL career – due to a shoulder injury.

In a 30–17 loss to the Oakland Raiders on September 15, Porter recorded seven tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and two pass deflections.

The performance, during which he returned one interceptions 84 yards, earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

In 2003, Porter recorded the lowest sack total of his career since his rookie year, while missing two games due to a gunshot wound to the buttocks suffered on August 31, 2003, outside of a Denver bar as an innocent bystander, just before the beginning of the season.

He recorded two sacks against the Washington Redskins on November 28, and had his lone interception of the season on December 26 on a pass from Baltimore Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller.

He received immediate interest from a handful of teams, including Pittsburgh's three division rivals—the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens.

The Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and San Diego Chargers were also in the mix, but it came down to the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins.

[8] He was immediately named the starting strongside linebacker, playing opposite Jason Taylor—the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award winner.

The penalty set up the Steelers for a 35-yard field goal with seconds left that was the eventual game-winning kick.

[15] He was reinstated to the coaching staff on January 13, 2017, after a subsequent investigation by the District Attorney dropped more serious charges and left him with only summary offenses.

[16] Porter resumed his coaching duties in the Steelers' 18–16 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional playoff game on January 15, 2017.

[18] Porter was officially hired by the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL on September 13, 2022,[19] whose head coach is his former teammate Hines Ward.

On March 28, 2010, Porter was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and assault on a California Highway Patrol officer.

[24] Also in 2012, again in Las Vegas, Porter was accused of punching Levi Jones outside a casino, resulting in a $141,176 fine from the NFL.

In March 2013, news outlets reported that Porter's South Florida mansion was facing foreclosure.