Tag: Immaturity

George Pickens finally got his medicine—in the form of Week 13 fines

George Pickens’s poor sportsmanship has put the NFL in a position to take action, as he accumulated over $20K in fines from Week 13.

It appears WR George Pickens’ immaturity has finally caught up to him. After a series of mishaps, immature antics, and on-and-off-the-field displays of poor sportsmanship, the NFL has decided to fine Pickens for his Week 13 actions.

In a throwback to the penalty-filled 2021 season, Pickens was hit with a taunting penalty in the first quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 13 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.  Pickens would ultimately receive of a fine of $10,231 for the unnecessary antics.

Pickens was later flagged again for unsportsmanlike conduct, this time for making a gun-like hand gesture while celebrating. The NFL has cracked down on violent or firearm-related gestures, imposing heavy fines on teams or players who engage in such behavior. This penalty would add an additional $10,231 in fines for Pickens, bringing the sum total of his Week 13 fines to $20,462.

Fans can understand where Pickens’ energy and excitement for big-time plays factor into all of this. However, over $20K in fines and 30 penalty yards later, was it truly worth it for the young wide receiver?

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Will Pickens’ immaturity lead to an eventual trade from Pittsburgh?

George Pickens’ immaturity is placing him on a path that similarly talented wide receivers from Pittsburgh followed: straight off the team.

A common rule of thumb in NFL locker rooms is that coaches would rather have receivers who demand the football than players who don’t mind being left out of the game plan for the week. The difference between the two is practically the definition of what Pittsburgh lacks: playmakers. 

George Pickens is one such playmaker, with more highlight-reel catches over the past few seasons than most players have in their entire careers. However, the issue isn’t his ability on the football field; it’s his maturity off of it. 

Pickens has consistently shown his true colors when faced with adversity—whether it’s a lack of effort on run plays last season, mishandling media responsibilities, unsportsmanlike conduct with Dallas defensive backs, or now the NFL’s investigation into the explicit language in his eye black from Week 5. 

Receivers like Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Diontae Johnson have all been embroiled in off-the-field drama in one way or another. Pittsburgh handled this the best way they could: they traded them or let them hit free agency. Is Pickens the next one out the door? 

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