Even when George Pickens has a good week, something has to go wrong. After his four-catch, 195-yard performance with two touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pickens was fined $16,391 for unsportsmanlike conduct. The fine came with 9:47 left in the third quarter, his second touchdown, after he pointed at a defender as he crossed the end zone.
The play is below.
Pickens was not flagged on the play, and you can see him pointing at the defender in these screenshots.
It’s the third time Pickens has been fined this season, as he picked up two fines in Week Seven against the Los Angeles Rams. Ironically, before Week 16, that was the last game Pickens had gone over 100 yards.
It was the only fine of the game for either team, and it’s honestly a little bit of a nitpicky fine, in my opinion. It’s another example of the NFL being the No Fun League, and it’s going to be a hit to Pickens’ wallet. It was one of 23 fines across the league in Week 16, or just one of .92% of plays that were fined. It’s the second fine for the Steelers in as many weeks, as LB Mykal Walker was fined for a horse collar tackle in Week 15’s loss against the Indianapolis Colts.
The good news in the game for Pickens is he went over 1,000 yards on the season with his performance, as he now has 56 receptions for 1,009 yards and five touchdowns on the season. He’ll look to add to those totals in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field tomorrow in another must-win game for the Steelers.
All NFL fines are predetermined amounts set by the CBA and increase by a designated percentage each year. Fine money is donated to charities of the league’s choosing.
