The Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with some turmoil in their locker room.
Star wide receiver George Pickens has had a rough go of things lately. Pickens was benched for multiple snaps of the Steelers last game, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. When he was available, it seemed Pickens was checked out multiple times, sometimes not giving maximum effort.
Pickens also had a costly drop on third down that prevented them from putting the game out of reach when they had the lead in the second half.
To make matters worse, Pickens is now under investigation by the NFL for profanity he wrote on his eye black tape during the game against the Cowboys.
Pickens’ teammates are sounding off on the receiver’s antics as they continue to jeopardize the team’s success.
“You just got to be there for him as much as you can. Understand where he’s coming from,” Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth said to reporters. “It’s not out of a bad place. He obviously wants to help us win. … He also has to understand this is a team sport, and he does.”
#Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth on helping WR George Pickens.
“You just got to be there for him as much as you can. Understand where he’s coming from. It’s not out of a bad place. He obviously wants to help us win. … He also has to understand this is a team sport, and he does.” pic.twitter.com/K6OkFd9kT7
— Aaron Becker (@Aaron_M_Becker) October 9, 2024
Freiermuth wasn’t the only Steelers tight end to discuss Pickens to reporters. Darnell Washington also spoke about the disgruntled star.
“He loves to showcase his skills. I look at every situation different than others. I know his actions probably weren’t the right thing to do at the time. For me, I just try to pick him up. You never know what’s going on in someone’s life. Some people might wake up on the wrong side of the bed.
Some people might be going through serious family problems, things like that. I don’t know his case or what’s behind it. I just try to pick people up, just try to motivate them and think about why they come to work, why they play the game, why they love the game, who they do it for.”
Darnell Washington admits there is something going on with George Pickens: “He loves to showcase his skills. I look at every situation different than others. I know his actions probably weren’t the right thing to do at the time. For me, I just try to pick him up. You never know…
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) October 9, 2024
It seems like his teammates are growing tired of the antics, but they’re not giving up on their brother. Hopefully, Pickens lets the people in his corner help him.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.