NFL hits Pittsburgh Steelers’ George Pickens with a hefty fine

PITTSBURGH — The NFL didn’t hold back on their fine for a play by Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens that went viral and added another iconic moment to the wideout’s 2024 resume.

Pickens was fined a facemask penalty during a stiff arm against the Washington Commanders in Week 10. The NFL hit the superstar wideout with a whopping $16,883 fine for what they call unnecessary roughness under the face mask.

While staging would work to describe the play, seeing it is the only way to do it justice. Pickens, who has a number of viral moments this season, probably could have made this play work even after he opted to jump and stiff arm at the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out and he now faces a fine for a play that was likely unintentional.

This is Pickens’ second fine of the season, with the first coming against the Dallas Cowboys when he pulled down cornerback Jourdan Lewis with his facemask late in the game.

The Pittsburgh wideout was surprisingly not penalized for a play during the game, which many thought would lead to some discipline. Near the end of the first half, Russell Wilson threw an interception, and as the defender hit the ground, Pickens, who was the intended wide receiver, touched him. During the play, the umpires did not see the contact, which kept the game alive. And as the defender ran down the field, Pickens got physical with Washington’s Mike Sainristil.

In the end, no penalty was given as both players wrestled on the ground and the NFL apparently saw it as fair play.

Pickens will look to avoid fines, but don’t expect his physical play to be dampened. Head coach Mike Tomlin always says he’d rather say “woah” than “sick them,” and there’s little chance he or Pickens will look to the fines as a reason to settle into the Steelers’ back half of the season. .

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