If you polled NFL players and asked them what their primary motivation is to be in the league, you would get a myriad of different answers. Some would say the money, others the fame. Many might just say the love of the game.
From listening to Joey Porter Jr. talk about his motivation during his first NFL training camp, his hypothetical answer is pretty obvious: legacy.
Porter Jr. touched on this motivation during the most recent episode of the The Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor.
“I want to be one of those guys, that’s in the conversation as one of the best corners to ever play the game.” Porter Jr. said. “I don’t play the game for the money part. When I grew up, my dad already had it. It was never a stress for me to make a certain type of money to be living comfortably. The game plan my mom and dad had for us was perfect. I play the game for those types of reasons. I want to put on a gold jacket, I want to win three Super Bowls. I want to be Defensive Rookie of the Year, All-Pro, make the Pro Bowl, all the stuff that [my dad’s] done. I want to do that and to my own extent, add some more to it.”
While the legacy of Joey Porter Sr. is great, Porter Jr. wants to be known as a lot more than just his son. It’s easy for athletes with a relative who also played to get stuck in their shadow. The bold list of accolades Porter Jr. wants to obtain certainly shows that.
Porter Jr. is in a very unique situation as an NFL rookie. Not only is his dad an NFL legend, but he was an NFL legend for the same franchise that drafted his son. This creates a unique set of advantages and disadvantages for the younger Porter. On one hand, he already had familiarity with the team, as he’s been in the locker room ever since he was a little kid.
However, there is also an immense amount of pressure on Porter Jr. to live up to the family name. After all, it would be quite easy to rest on his laurels as the son of a football star. But that’s not who Joey Porter Jr. is. He’s shown nothing but class since being drafted by the Steelers, and there has been no sign of entitlement due to his last name. In fact, he’s handled every twist and turn humbly and gracefully. It seems like he is going to be a positive presence both on the field in the locker room for years to come.
