Steelers WR George Pickens Receives Hefty Fines from Bengals Game
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was fined a total of $20,462 for his unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in last Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. One fine was for taunting, while the other was for making a violent gesture.
Pickens was first flagged in the first half when he dropped the ball on linebacker Germaine Pratt after a catch and run and then again in the third quarter after firing an imaginary gun. Pickens claims he was making a first-down gesture.
Pickens is no stranger to unsportsmanlike penalties, but he knows he must be better moving forward.
“You can’t hurt the team,” Pickens said. “I never intend to hurt the team.”
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.”
Pickens escaped a fine in Week 12 after getting into a post-game skirmish with Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II. He wasn’t as fortunate this time around. Pickens has now been fined five times this season, docking his wallet $57,808.
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. Pickens was reportedly fined over $200,000 by the team and league last year.
RELATED: Steelers WR George Pickens Takes Accountability: ‘You Can’t Hurt The Team’
Alan Saunders and Aaron Becker provided reporting for this story.
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