Joey Porter Sr. has been in the headlines this week after calling out former teammate Ben Roethlisberger.  It’s an odd twist in the tale of players who have long since retired and who were inducted into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ring of Honor mere months ago. Porter has always been known as a character and for his mouth.

Another former teammate, center Jeff Hartings, recalled the leadership Porter brought to the team.

“He’s a team leader. He brings a lot of energy. And that’s one of the things that I loved about him when I came here in 2001,” Hartings said Friday on FOX Sports 970 AM with Tim Benz. “The welcome to Pittsburgh Steelers football moment was when we warm up in training camp, with Cowher. And then the first thing he does is blow the whistle and says, ‘Goal line.’ And we go down and go on the goal line and have four or five plays, whatever. And first of all, I’m like, ‘What?’ Barely even warmed up. We’re going down to the goal line, and then you start hearing Joey and Jerome start talking trash to each other. And you’re like, these dudes hate each other.

“I didn’t know, I didn’t understand this. And then you found out, no, they’re roommates, they play cards together, and this is just what they love to do.”

That sums up how Porter led in Pittsburgh. It was a team that was going to talk and then hit you in the mouth to back it up. Porter’s leadership style was abrasive but effective, and his play certainly backed it up.

And there’s no question that it trickled down to the rest of the team.

Porter had built a reputation as a player who used trash talk to his team’s advantage. Hartings brought up perhaps the most famous example of Porter waging a war of words to gain a psychological edge on his opponent, when he disparaged Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens leading up to Super Bowl XL. After a perceived slight on Jerome Bettis, Porter fired back and put the pressure on Stevens, who ended up dropping several key passes in the Super Bowl.

“I love Joey because Joey is just who Joey is,” Hartings said. “I think that kind of came out this week and it came out that week and the Super Bowl. And so that didn’t even phase us one bit because we knew that’s Joey. I mean, we probably laughed about that at practice and joked about that during the week because we know he’s gonna go out there and back it up.”

Hartings and Porter were teammates for six seasons in Pittsburgh and won a Super Bowl together. While today’s headlines may focus on the latest war of words, those who shared a locker room with Porter understand the full picture. Time may have passed, and players may have retired, but the great personalities never fade. Joey Porter is still Joey Porter.

Teammates and fans alike know that his unapologetic authenticity made him invaluable during his playing career. His voice still echoes loudly today.