Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter has been fined $1,000 after decking a rival team's player in a Las Vegas casino's valet area.
On a night out at the Palms Casino, Porter lunged at Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Levi Jones, gashing him in the forehead, after a disagreement at the Blackjack table on March 18th.
A police report said that the row had nothing to do with the casino games. Jones said in his statement that Porter "approached him to fight because they argue on the football field" and the Miami Dolphins player threw the first punch.
Porter preferred to stay out of the limelight and instead was represented by lawyer Karen Winckler at the Las Vegas Justice Court, who entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanour battery charge.
Previously, authorities had said that Porter could spend up to a year in jail for the assault.
The two players have always indulged in verbal sparring on the pitch exchanging words when they met twice a year in the Bengals' AFC North rivalry with the Steelers, for whom Porter used to play.
Who knows what will happen when Jones and Porter meet next on the field when the Dolphins take on the Bengals in December, as a few weeks after the incident, Jones branded Porter a ''coward'' for the attack, which also involved a group of Porter's friends.
Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter has been fined $1,000 after decking a rival team's player in a Las Vegas casino's valet area.