‘He Couldn’t Take It’: Joey Porter Sr. Responds to Vontaze Burfict

Joey Porter Sr. is responding to former Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict after Burfict responded to Joey Porter Jr’s comments on NFL Network that his most hated player growing up was Burfict. Two weeks ago, Porter Jr. was asked by Daniel Jeremiah to name that most hated player, and Burfict caught wind of the video, going on an Instagram rant after seeing it.

Joey Porter Jr on who he hated most growing up as a Steelers Fan:

“ Vontaze Burfict.”#steelers

🎥YT/NFL Network pic.twitter.com/7wdsTrXGzZ

— matthew luciow (@Luciow1992) August 6, 2023

“I’m happy your daddy got stories about me, but fuck your daddy,” Burfict said. “And for y’all that still watch this rigged ass NFL, what kind of question was that on national TV?”

Porter Sr. saw the comments, too, but he did not like that his son got dragged into the beef that he once had with Burfict. So, Porter Sr. is trying to stay out of the spotlight so his kids do not get caught as collateral in any squabble that he may have. Porter Jr. does not have the intense demeanor that his father carried on the football field, and that is something that many have been caught off guard by overall. But it is precisely part of the reason that Porter Sr. hopes to stay out of the light. He wants his son to be his own man and carve out his path.

“I have to change now and be older because I don’t want to do any of this foolishness anymore,” Porter Sr. said. “Because that falls back on my kids. If I do anything weird, he (Porter Jr.) has to answer for it. I’m not trying to do that.”

Porter Jr.’s comments about Burfict flamed the tempers of a rivalry that began while Porter Jr. was in middle school. And Porter Sr. is not going to entertain any feuds like that, at least not on a public scale to where Porter Jr. becomes exposed and has to answer for those interactions.

“Like, the whole Vontaze Burfict thing that happened the other day, you tried to give the guy a compliment,” Porter Sr. said. “He couldn’t take it. Don’t nobody like me in Cincinnati, in Baltimore, or Cleveland. They didn’t like me so much in New England, they put me on the Jumbotron. I had no tackles no day. Do you know how much they hate you if they put on the Jumbotron? I want to be the most hated man in every stadium I walk into it.”

For Porter Sr., Burfict took the comments the wrong way. It was more of a sign of respect that Burfict made himself so hated rather than one where Porter Jr. took a shot at Burfict. Regardless, the Porter family is hoping to move on from that and the comparisons between father and son.