Joey Porter Thinks He’d Have 3 Super Bowl Rings if Patriots Hadn’t Cheated

Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter is playing against the New England Patriots today, and he's thinking about times he's played against the Patriots in the past.

Specifically, he's recalling the two times he played against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And according to Porter, the Steelers would have won both of those games -- and Porter would have ended up winning two more Super Bowl rings -- if the Patriots hadn't cheated.

Porter said in an interview with Keyshawn Johnson on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown that he still believes Patriots coach Bill Belichick's practice of taping the other team's sideline in violation of NFL rules is the reason the Patriots beat the Steelers in those two AFC Championships.

Here's part of the transcript:

Porter: Because I got cheated.

Keyshawn: Cheated in what?

Porter: In both of them AFC championship games.

Keyshawn: What did they do?

Porter: Come on, man. They've been videotaping for years, man. You cannot sit up there and honestly tell me if it wasn't working, why was he doing it so much? You're not going to sit up there and tell me if I'm a quarterback in my headset I know where the blitz is coming. I know where my hots and stuff is at before it happens. I know what play you're running on defense. All you got to do is be in the right position ... just catch the ball.

Keyshawn: So you feel they were cheating. You don't feel they were just the better team?

Porter: What? No, no, no, no. Two times we could have blown them people out easily. They say, oh, he's so smart. This is the best brainstorming coach. Yeah, because he's cheating. He got caught. ... If it wasn't so bad, why did you destroy the tape so fast? ... We want to see the tapes. When you get rid of evidence like that, there was something in it they didn't want everybody to see.

Keyshawn: So you take it personally?

Porter: Maaan... That's my dynasty. You know what I mean? I could be sitting up here with three rings. This is the way I look at it. I played three AFC Championships -- won one, lost two. ... Yeah, to me just like they want to put an asterisk on everything else, yeah, I don't care what they say. They have an asterisk on them. ... At the same time, people that played against them on the field, we know. Who they got on that team beside Tom Brady?