George Pickens was involved in yet another incident in the moments following a defeat. The NFL is reportedly reviewing Pickens’ fight for possible discipline, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
The first incident came against the Dallas Cowboys last month, as Pickens yanked Jourdan Lewis down by his face mask while they walked off the field near the end of the game. This time, it happened as the clock struck zero in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns. Instead of attempting to go for the hail mary play, Pickens and Browns CB Greg Newsome II ended up against the wall in the back of the end zone in a scuffle.
“The NFL will review George Pickens instigating a fight with Browns cornerback Greg Newsome after the Hail Mary at the end of the Browns 24-19 upset of the Steelers, and a fine could be coming,” Cabot wrote.
Fines are given out the Saturday following a week of play, so we can probably expect an announcement then, if not sooner, about discipline handed down from the league on Pickens. He was fined $10,230 for unnecessary roughness for the incident versus the Cowboys, and the fines tend to escalate with repeat offenses. Pickens was also fined $16,883 for a face-mask penalty against the Washington Commanders in Week 10, though that is less related than the other incidents.
We will see if Newsome is also fined for his participation in the fight.
Pickens ended up blaming the loss on weather after the game and said the Browns aren’t a good team. Meanwhile, Newsome called him a fake tough guy.
“He was just trying to do WrestleMania with me the whole time,” Newsome said via Cabot. “So that’s what happened at the end.”
Brown S Grant Delpit also accused Pickens of tripping him after a play on social media. Delpit responded by ripping out his mouthguard after a play later in the game.
“I let my intrusive thoughts win, but it looked like we won the battle,” Delpit said via Cabot. “We won the battle. So eff it, we ball.”
It certainly wasn’t Pickens’ finest display of sportsmanship on Thursday, and the two teams will meet once again in just two weeks. I am sure the refs will be told to run a tight ship for that game after mostly letting things fly on Thursday.
