Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens was hit with two separate fines totaling $20,462 for his conduct in Pittsburgh’s 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.
Pickens’ first fine came as a result of his taunting penalty, spinning the ball on Cincinnati LB Germaine Pratt after beating him on a route for a first down. That cost Pickens $10,231, as did his second fine, which came for making a violent gesture. The fines were announced on the league’s gameday accountability page.
Pickens’ first fine came with 4:15 remaining in the first quarter, when he picked up a first down after a 3rd and 8 completion and decided to let Pratt know about it after the play.
His third and final fine came after he made a gun gesture after picking up a first down in the third quarter. While Pickens said he was just signaling first down, the referees believed it to be a gun gesture and he was flagged, but not ejected despite it being his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That came with 13:54 left in the third quarter and wound up being costly, as the Steelers had to settle for a field goal on the drive and it wound up being blocked.
Pickens has been fined multiple times this season now, with the most recent coming in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders, when he was fined for grabbing a defender’s facemask. He avoided a fine in Week 12 for a scuffle with CB Greg Newsome II, but his wallet took a big hit this week. So far this season, he’s been fined $57,807 by the NFL after these two fines, and that comes after he was reportedly fined over $200,000 by the team and league last season.
Pickens could’ve also been fined for punting the ball after his touchdown, but the league didn’t find that action worthy of a fine.
Pickens was the only player fined from the Steelers-Bengals game. So far this season, Pickens has 55 receptions for 850 yards, leading the Steelers in both categories. He also has three touchdown receptions.
Fines are determined by the CBA and increase a designated percentage each year. All fine money the NFL collects goes to charity.
