Spouse Of Steelers Great Joey Porter Had An Even Worse Experience Than Browns' Wyatt Teller's Wife In-Stadium

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a deep-rooted rivalry with the Cleveland Browns. The two teams hate each other, and the fans share the resentment as well. Cleveland always relishes at the opportunity to punch their long-time bully in the mouth, while the Black and Gold wants to continue to stomp them into the basement, like they have done in nearly every season since the Browns' revival in 1999. In Week 12, Cleveland defeated Pittsburgh, and the Steelers got their revenge two weeks later. 

In the team's Week 14 game, the wife of Wyatt Teller complained about how Steeler Nation treated her and other wives/girlfriends of Browns' players. She said that everyone was so disrespectful to them, even though her group never did anything to those fans in the first place. 

Teller later defended Pittsburgh fans, saying that hostility is to be expected in this kind of rivalry. He even said that they can say whatever they want, as long as they don't touch his wife or flash them. Those who know the rivalry understand exactly what to expect, and Teller has played for Cleveland long enough to know what's happening. 

On the second episode of Hard Knocks: In Season With The AFC North, that kind of loud and obnoxious behavior was revealed to be nothing new. The show highlighted an interaction between Joey Porter Jr. and his parents, including former Super Bowl champion Joey Porter Sr. Christy Porter had to chime in and explain a story from when Senior was playing.

"I remember all the wives, we took a limo to Cleveland," explained Christy Porter. [Junior's] daddy said to me -- because all the wives wore the husbands' jerseys -- he was like, 'Christy, don't go to Cleveland with my jersey on. That’s not going to be a good idea.' I was like, 'Everyone's wearing their jerseys; other wives are wearing their jerseys. I want to wear my jersey.' I didn't make it to halftime. I had to be escorted out the stadium because the Cleveland fans were like, 'Joey Porter's wife!' Popcorn, hot dogs, drinks," she said, motioning that they were being thrown at her. "That was the last time I went to a divisional game."

The experience that happened to Teller's wife was nothing compared to what happened to Porter's. While Carly Teller was just verbally attacked, Christy Porter was assaulted with food and drinks being thrown all over her. Teller was at least able to stay throughout the whole game, while Porter actually had to leave her seat for her own safety.

While neither incident is necessarily a good look, it just shows how intense the rivalry truly is, as well as how the players understand it. While Wyatt Teller had to defend Steeler Nation against his wife, Porter Sr. tried to warn his own about what may happen beforehand, and it did not work. 

The intense rivalry clearly has not died down at all, even during Ben Roethlisberger's reign of terror throughout the years. In the two matchups in 2024, it did not matter that the Steelers were competing for a divisional title while the Browns were being eliminated from playoff contention: they both want to win these games and assert dominance badly.

Steelers Have Many Rivalries Across The AFC North

Porter Sr. even mentioned that he refused to ever eat in Cleveland, Cincinnati, or Baltimore. He expected the locals to spit in his food if he ever tried to do so. He admits that he has never tried Maryland crab, even though it is considered a specialty along the Chesapeake Bay. He will stick to the places that he knows, as well as anywhere that the chefs won't try to get him sick.

The difference of generations between Teller and Porter Sr. mean nothing. The AFC North has always had insane rivalries, and they will never die out. One day, there may be a Joey Porter III that will learn what it means to play in that division, with lessons courtesy of his father and grandfather.

What do you think about the hostility of fans in Cleveland and Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments.

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