Joey Porter Sr. and his namesake are clearly cut from the same cloth. They both approach — or approached, in the case of the proud papa — the game of football in the same manner: like a street fight. The elder Porter has long been my favorite Steeler of all time. I loved the way he played the game, with an unsatiable hunger to win and because he seemingly treated every opponent as if they disrespected his mama. Now, his son (and my fellow Penn Stater) Joey Jr. plays for the Steelers in the same manner. They both share the same trademark swagger and aggression that has become synonymous with the Porter name. But if you ask them, neither is even close to being the toughest Porter in the family.
During an interview with WPXI’s Jenna Harner that aired before the Steelers-Titans game, the father and son talked about the real family superhero, Jasmine. “Jazzy,” as she is affectionately referred to, is the daughter of Joey Sr. and Christy Porter. She was born with severe autism, but her strength and perseverance have been an inspiration to her family and given the Porters a clear purpose in life.
“She made all of us stronger in some way because she’s the toughest one in the family,” Porter Sr. told Harner. “Her every day shows us that it ain’t as bad as we think it is even when we feel like it’s just going bad. She humbles us all and makes us take every day of being happy for what it’s worth.”
Jasmine, who is now in her 20s, also inspired her “little” brother, Joey Jr., with her courage and determination.
The Steelers’ rookie corner is eight games into his professional career and is already turning heads. He has earned a starting job and has already become a favorite of Steelers fans with some splash plays and an aggressive style of play reminiscent of his old man. He has the look of a future star but because of the example set by his sister, chances are he will stay grounded. JPJ has a maturity and perspective that many his age lack.
“I always say I’m the little big brother in a sense,” Porter Jr. told Harner. “Growing up with Jazzy, she always taught me not to need for something. I always looked at myself where I should never be in a position where I’m always wishing on this or wishing on that because I had a sister that couldn’t walk, couldn’t run, couldn’t do all the things I could. I never wanted to take my life for granted.”
When Jasmine was young and the family lived in California, the Porters struggled to find resources to help care for their baby girl. Instead of complaining or feeling sorry for themselves, the Porters attacked the situation like an opposing quarterback. In 2003, the family founded the Jasmine Nyree Day Center in Bakersfield, Calif., to help children ages 5-12 with special needs. The center later expanded to cater to those up to age 21.
In 2019, the family purchased a former church property in Pittsburgh and opened a new campus. The Jasmine Nyree Campus is a multi-service community center designed to address multiple needs in the community including residential, recreational, and educational services, according to its website.
Jazzy’s battle has given her family members a purpose that they never could have anticipated but one they have embraced, nonetheless.
“We’ve helped a lot of families, and we just want to continue to help kids and adults in the special-needs community because we know what it looks like and we know how hard it can be,” Joey Sr. said. “We’ve put ourselves in a position to help that special-needs community, and I think that’s what our path was.”
It’s a path for which no parent is prepared but sometimes our paths are chosen for us. And our choice is to either accept the challenge and attack it or feel sorry for ourselves and throw in the towel. Apparently, the Porters only know one way. To fight like hell. And because they have chosen to fight for their baby girl, countless others have been the beneficiaries of their battle.
“We want to try and give everyone a chance who has a special-needs kid to have a place where they can go where they do feel normal and that parent gets that break for four or five hours, eight hours a day and they know that their child is at a good place and is going to get treated the same way we treat Jasmine,” said Porter Sr.
On the football field and off it, the Porter family has shown us how to attack any opponent we may face in life. With dogged determination, fearless aggression, and a relentless passion to win. The Pittsburgh community is better for it. We are fortunate to have the Porter family blitzing the opposition that those with special needs face. On behalf of Steeler Nation, we say thank you for showing us the way.
And give the beautiful Jazzy a big hug for us.
