Cowboys rule out Joey Porter Jr. with illness shortly before kickoff

The Cowboys will be without cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for Thursday night's game against the Buccaneers after ruling him out with an illness shortly before kickoff.

Porter was sent home after arriving at the facility very sick, Cowboys reporter Jane Slater reported after speaking with a team source. That account adds context to the late scratch, which Dallas announced only a couple of hours before the game.

The absence removes Porter from the Cowboys' secondary for the matchup with Tampa Bay, and Dallas announced the ruling only a couple of hours before kickoff.