Raiders suspend Porter for detrimental conduct
Wideout who hasn't played this season to miss four games
Nancy Gay, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, October 14, 2006
(10-14) 13:57 PDT DENVER -- A "chaotic" Raiders practice session on Friday in Alameda - a sloppy, longer-than-usual workout that left many players grumbling, sources said -- resulted in wide receiver Jerry Porter receiving a four-game suspension from coach Art Shell for conduct detrimental to the team when the seventh-year veteran openly complained within earshot of the staff.
Porter, 28, already has been deep in Shell's doghouse after the opinionated receiver clashed with the new head coach and receivers coach Fred Biletnikoff during a meeting last spring.
The team's No. 2 receiver in 2005, behind Randy Moss, with 76 catches for 942 yards and five touchdowns, Porter has not been active in any of the Raiders' four games this season, all losses. Since then, he has been practicing on the offensive and defensive scout teams, mimicking opponents during the week and sitting on game days.
Characterized by one Raiders player as "the worst practice we've had all season" under Shell, the usual 90-minute Friday session extended well past 2½ hours, several team sources said on the condition of anonymity, and much of the roster was frustrated and angry by the lack of organization.
"People wonder why we're 0-4 -- that's why," one player said of the workout. "It was a joke out there. Guys were pissed off."
Numerous players, including veterans such as Moss and defensive tackle Warren Sapp, were grumbling among themselves about the practice session, which one Raiders source described as "completely disorganized and chaotic."
At one point, sources said, Porter -- who was running with the scout team defense -- asked somewhat loudly if the practice "was going to last three hours or what?"
Shell overheard the comment, sources said, and retaliated with the suspension, which would cost Porter $235,000 of his $1 million base salary -- if it were to stick.
And that appears unlikely.
Unlike the Philadelphia Eagles, who carefully documented every egregious offense committed by controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens before slapping him with a similar four-game suspension without pay last season, the Raiders have not kept a detailed dossier on Porter.
Without proper documentation of so-called detrimental conduct, an NFL source said, it would be almost impossible to enforce the suspension once it is appealed by Porter's agent, Joel Segal, and the NFL Players Association.
"This won't last a week," an NFL source said Saturday.
The Eagles built their case on Owens by citing instances such as a fight he had with former player Hugh Douglas, who serves as a team "ambassador." When Owens' suspension was finished, Philadelphia coach Andy Reid then deactivated him the remainder of the 2005 season.
In Porter's case, the Raiders will have a difficult time proving he has done anything disruptive enough to warrant banishment.
"The guy is out there practicing, doing everything he has to do to help us," one player said Saturday before the team departed for Denver for Sunday night's AFC West contest against Denver. "Come on now, this is getting out of hand.
"A lot of us are wondering what's next."
Ailing team owner Al Davis, several sources said, has turned over almost all authority to Shell and did not intervene in the decision to suspend Porter.
Porter told The Chronicle in July that he and Shell were not on the same page and that had no confidence in Shell's choice for an offensive coordinator, Tom Walsh. Porter also said that he hoped the team would trade him.
The Raiders gave Segal permission to shop Porter, provided he repays about $4 million in bonus money the receiver was paid last year. So far, there have been no takers.
The NFL's trade deadline is Tuesday.
E-mail Nancy Gay at ngay@sfchronicle.com.
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