Former Steelers CB Calls Out Darius Slay

PITTSBURGH -- Things didn't end well between the Pittsburgh Steelers and cornerback Darius Slay. After about half a season, the Steelers granted Slay his release.

Those 10 games with the Steelers proved to be the final ones of Slay's career, and since then he has been open about his displeasure with the experience with the organization. That wasn't the case with his teammates, however, as he praised his fellow cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey.

But his recent comments about Porter Jr. caught the attention of former Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor. Slay recently made a complimentary statement about him with one small exception. Slay referred to his hands as "sus," and that drew the ire of Taylor. He took to X to voice his displeasure with Slay's comments.

"Glad I wasn't in the era for biting da bait," he said via his X account. "An talkn bout the same side of the ball teammate...#inhause."

Is Slay Right About Porter Jr.?

While Slay's comments weren't what Taylor wanted to hear, he may have made a point. And it's worth pointing out, the entirety of what Slay said was more of a compliment than a criticism. The one thing he didn't praise was Porter Jr.'s ball production, and rightly so. It's nonexistent. The fourth-year corner has recorded just one interception in each of his first three seasons. That's what Slay was seemingly addressing in his recent comments.

"I've been there with him in Pittsburgh. His hands are very sus," Slay said on ESPN's NFL Live. "He's gonna get them right, though... Other than that, Joey is for sure going to be a guy that's going to sneak into this top 10 easily. He's a got a big payday coming up, too. Pittsburgh, make sure you do my boy right."

Nov 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Slay (23) reacts as he takes the field against the Indianapolis Colts at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Steelers Code Strikes Again

Taylor's comments are another example and reminder of the way the old guard protects their teammates and franchise. We've seen it time and time again, with multiple former Steelers making it clear that they won't take any besmirching of the organization or one another.

Taylor is seemingly criticizing Slay for calling out a teammate. That's not the way the Steelers' teams of the early 2000s operate. They kept all problems in-house, or "inhaus", as Taylor wrote on his X account. The old school idea is you handle all business between one another, behind closed doors. Slay choosing to say these things on an ESPN podcast surely rubbed the former Steelers cornerback the wrong way.

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