The Sports Truth

The Oakland Raiders have some serious issues.

That much was evident to anyone unfortunate enough to watch their 27-0 home defeat to the San Diego Chargers Monday night. It was heinous. Everyone from members of Raider Nation to Oakland’s own players couldn’t resist ridiculing this sorry display.

That’s right, disgruntled wideout Jerry Porter, who was deactived for Monday’s regular-season opener, was seen laughing and fist-pumping near the Raiders bench after quarterback Aaron Brooks was sacked for the seventh time, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Porter, who has been slowed by a calf injury and has clashed with Raiders coach Art Shell throughout the preseason while demanding to be traded, has stooped to a new low with this one. Who cheers when your own team is being humiliated? Talk about — quite literally — adding insult to injury.

Doug Gabriel started all five exhibition games opposite Randy Moss. After Gabriel was traded to New England, Alvis Whitted was named the starter in place of Porter.

Shell, asked about his decision to deactivate Porter, said: “We have five receivers and I decided we’d go with the other four guys.”

Ouch. In Porter’s defense, he claims he was fist-pumping in response to a fan. Whatever. It looks as if this guy’s days in Oakland are numbered… although it’s hard to see anyone acquiring him. Think Bill Belichick is targeting this kind of character to replace the traded Deion Branch? All the speed in the world can’t compensate for that kind of attitude.

The only person who’s idiocy rivals Porter’s? Me. For picking him up in my fantasy football league without realizing any of this had transpired. Guess that explains why he was available.