So, we say goodbye to Clinton Earl Portis.
Are we sad? Feeling melancholy?
Or are we happy to put him in the rear view mirror of this franchise?
The legacy of Portis, released Monday by Washington, may be a confusing one for Redskins’ fans. Since he arrived in a trade with the Denver Broncos, he has been the face of the franchise, clearly the most popular athlete on the team and one of this area’s biggest sports stars.
On any given Sunday, the stands at FedEx Field are filled with people wearing Portis jerseys.
But being the face of this franchise during a dysfunctional decade won’t win any beauty contests. And the problem is Portis also is the face of that dysfunction.
He put up some of the best numbers of any running back to wear a Washington uniform. Portis owns the two top rushing seasons in franchise history — 1,516 yards in 2005 and 1,487 yards in 2008 — and will finish second all-time with 6,824 yards, second only to John Riggins.
Portis made his debut in 2004 with a 64-yard touchdown run, and in 2005 he helped lead the Redskins and Joe Gibbs to the playoffs with five straight 100-yard rushing games to fuel a five-game win streak at the end of the season.
Gibbs loved Portis — traded for him shortly after arriving for his second stint as Redskins coach in 2004. At least he loved him on Sundays, because Portis played hard and tough on Sundays.
But it was Monday through Saturday and everything in between that caused the problems.
From most accounts, Portis never showed much of a commitment to the concept of practice, and had seemingly established his own set of rules on the team. When Jim Zorn tried to change that in his first season, he was rebuffed.
And that is the dysfunction that Portis represented — the lack of organizational discipline within the Redskins. Washington gave up too much — a second-round pick in addition to Champ Bailey — to get Portis, and then invested way too much money in the running back, a $50 million deal upon acquiring him. They restructured it and put more money in Portis’ pockets seemingly countless times. He was due to make more than $8 million next season.
Portis, now 29, played in just 13 games the last two seasons because of a concussion in 2009 and a groin injury in 2010. If he has anything left, he will have to prove it someplace else — and make a lot less money.
“We have been through a lot both on and off of the field and we would like to wish him and his family the very best,” owner Dan Snyder said in a statement announcing Portis’ release. “He will always be a Redskin and go down as one of the franchise’s all-time greats.”
That means Portis likely will be honored someday in the Ring of Honor, because he was the best the Washington Redskins had to offer.
That represents both the good and the bad of his legacy.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
