Steelers WR George Pickens Fined for Explicit Message

The NFL has hit Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens with two fines.

Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) breaks a tackle by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis (2) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was hit with two fines this weekend for behaviors that occured during the team's Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The NFL announced Pickens was fined $10,230 for unnecessary roughness when he dragged Cowboys defender Jourdan Lewis down by his facemask at the end of the game. Then, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor, he was fined another $10,231 for an explicit remark he had written on his eye black during the game.

Pickens wrote "open f****** always" on his eye black. Afterward, he was asked about it and the backlash it received, and told reporters he was unaware of the uniform policy the NFL had. He then shrugged off any criticisms toward the message.

"It's just eye black," he said.

George Pickens’ explicit eyeblack cost him $10,231 on a fine for displaying a personal message per league source.

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 12, 2024

Pickens was fined a total of $20,463 for his actions in Week 5. Now, it's a question of whether or not the team has also fined him after reports emerged that, on top of these incidences, he has been showing up late for work on "multiple occasions" this season.

These are the first fines for Pickens this season, but with lashouts becoming a consistent issue of his, the spotlight will be on him throughout the season. Last year, after issues emerged, he had his best game of the season and showed the NFL he's star-capable. Pittsburgh, despite keeping him on a snap count, will hope the same outcome happens in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

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