Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens seems to have incurred more than just a loss of yardage following his antics during a face-off with the Cincinnati Bengals. The NFL has thrown a yellow flag on Pickens' behavior, sanctioning him with fines totaling $20,000 for two unsportsmanlike conduct violations, WTAE reported.
On Nov. 30, the first of Pickens' costly mistakes took the form of a taunting penalty in the opening quarter's waning minutes, precisely four minutes and 15 seconds. He chose to drop the ball onto a grounded Bengals linebacker, Germaine Pratt, following a 21-yard gain. Later in the third quarter, he couldn't resist making a dramatic "finger gun" gesture towards the fans, an overture that the NFL classified as violent, according to the same report from WTAE.
The tally from these fines, as detailed by WPXI, is $20,462. The financial hit didn't stop George Pickens from considering the implications of his actions. "You can’t hurt the team," Pickens conceded, showing awareness of his negative impact on the team's image and discipline.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin isn't letting Pickens off with a slap on the wrist, either. In a dose of tough love, he reminded his player that it's time for a growth spurt in maturity, the circumstances of dealing with stardom, and the responsibility of the NFL limelight.
Despite this setback, Pickens appears to be shouldering the burden of his actions and their repercussions. He expressed a resolve to better control his emotions during game-time stress, a promise the Steelers' faithful will be eyeing closely in the following weeks.
