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I had an interesting conversation with Patricia Portis, mother of former Florida quarterback Josh Portis (wait, didn't he just get there?) and she was hoping I could clear the air of a few perceptions about her. Mainly, that she runs her son's life. Makes decisions for him. And is too controlling. If you hadn't heard, the highly recruited Portis (who followed Urban Meyer out of a Utah commitment) announced this week he would transfer from Meyer's Gators after only one season. Well, actually Patricia Portis announced it and Josh then followed up with some comments of his own -- for reasons including a lack of playing time. Of course, Chris Leak was in the fold. And last time I checked, he has a pretty good track record. I told Patricia that I could sympathize with the fact that people from her past (namely administrators at high schools Josh once transferred from) had lambasted her publicly. Then I gave Patricia a chance to explain why Josh was, in fact, transferring. As they used to say during football games on TV: You make the call. Question: Is this a doting parent or overbearing, overprotective mother? Patricia Portis: "You know, a lot of people have jumped to conclusions here. This was Josh's decision. But why is he leaving? There were things that were said to him. You know, Josh had earned the right to play. He wasn't being developed. They designed plays for him and had told him he would play. They got his hopes up. What they said is not what they did. He was trying to figure out why he wasn't playing. He was unhappy. His trust level had diminished. They kept saying, 'Portis, you've been practicing great. You're going to play.' And then he wouldn't." Now, here's where it gets interesting. Question: A case study, perhaps? Patricia Portis: "When they recruited Josh, they also recruited me. We're talking about someone who was 17 years old. You want me to let him go 3,000 miles and just leave him alone? They said I was in Coach Meyer's ear. That's not true. Josh is not only my son, he is also my friend. I raised him a good boy, in L.A., as a divorced, single mom. Don't I get credit for that? He's a good boy. And a good 'B' student. Am I involved? Yes, I'm involved!" Question: So why has Josh already attended four schools since April of 2003? Patricia Portis: "At one school, parents told me my son's life had been threatened. The administrators did nothing. I wanted my son to stay away from that quarterback. This is a kid that threatened to shoot and kill him. What was I supposed to do? At another school, a teacher verbally assaulted him. What was I supposed to do?" Patricia Portis said her son will decide which Pac-10 or ACC school to transfer to within the next two weeks. Perhaps because Portis is remarkably athletic and talented, Patricia's cell phone voicemail can no longer accept messages. Patricia said Meyer told her transferring son that he wasn't welcome to suit up for the team at the Outback Bowl, even if he wanted to. Whatever team recruits Josh Portis next will recruit his mom as well. And it was with no shame or hesitation that she told me so.
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