Big Ben Applauds Mike Tomlin for Putting George Pickens on Notice: ‘That Was a Good Step for Coach T’
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was fined a total of $20,462 for his two unsportsmanlike penalties in the Week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. One fine was for taunting, while the other was for making a violent gesture.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin put Pickens on notice after the game, saying he needs to grow up.
“He’s just got to grow up, man,” Tomlin said. “It’s an emotional game. These divisional games are big. He’s got a target on his back because he’s George. He understands that, but he’s got to grow up. He’s got to grow up in a hurry.”
During an appearance on the DVE Morning Show on Tuesday, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger applauded Tomlin for publicly calling Pickens out.
“Well, when you’ve got Broderick Jones taking care of that, I think we’re good. The voice of reason,” Roethlisberger said with a laugh. “Obviously, those two know each other. I thought when Coach T came out last week after the game and said it’s unacceptable or ‘he needs to grow up’ — I forget what his exact words were — I thought that was a good step for Coach T. You needed to have that. You needed to have the coach step up and say that because we’ve got to nip that in the bud now, you know?”
Pickens also got some heat from Roethlisberger for fighting before the Hail Mary pass in the Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
“George is fighting with a guy before the ball is even in the air. And I’m like, is he trying to draw a penalty? I’m confused by that as well,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast. I don’t know what he’s doing. I’m not saying that he’s giving up on the play, but if you’re not making a play on the ball, what are you doing? That kind of made me bonkers too. We didn’t have anybody down there to make a play, and that’s Pickens your guy. If you want one guy to be down there, it’s him or Mount Washington.”
Pickens was reportedly fined over $200,000 by the team and league last year. This year, to public knowledge, he’s been fined five times for $57,808.
In addition to the two fines from the Bengals game, Pickens received a hefty $16,883 fine for unnecessary roughness (facemask) on Washington Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste in the fourth quarter of the Steelers’ Week 10 win. He was fined twice for a total of $20,463 in the Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He was fined $10,231 by the NFL for an explicit eye black message and docked $10,230 for throwing Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis down by his facemask at the conclusion of the game.
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