Former Steelers WR George Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys at the beginning of May, but he had one more commitment to the Pittsburgh area to take care of. He had a sold-out youth football camp through TruEdge Sports at Highmark Stadium but decided against returning to Pittsburgh for it. Fortunately, the event will be salvaged to a certain extent by Pat Freiermuth, who stepped up to fill in for Pickens, according to Mark Kaboly on X.
“Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth will step in for George Pickens after Pickens backs out of his sold-out youth camp commitment at Highmark Stadium,” Kaboly wrote. “Pickens initially said he would still attend after getting traded but now decided not to. Freiermuth now steps in. What a nice gesture by Freiermuth. It wasn’t his responsibility, but he stepped up.”
TruEdge Sports sent an email to all families that had purchased tickets explaining the last-minute change, shared by Reddit user Satisfied_I_Wander.
Pickens and his representation had reassured TruEdge and the families that they would still follow through with the camp after being traded, but the following email was reportedly sent yesterday for a camp that was supposed to begin on June 28. This is just one part of a five-part email. You can view the full thing via Reddit.
“We’re pleased to share that Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has officially committed to stepping in as a guest for this camp. Additionally, we are actively in talks with multiple other Steelers players and fully intend to build out and exciting lineup that delivers value to every family,” the email from TruEdge stated.
The camp is rescheduled for July 20th, just before the start of the Steelers’ training camp with players reporting on July 23rd. That should have several players in the area to help make up for the problem Pickens created.
Along with rescheduling a lineup of other Steelers, all of the campers will receive free autographs from all players in attendance and anyone who purchased an autograph package previously will be refunded.
TruEdge issued a pointed statement about Pickens.
“Let us say again, we are incredibly frustrated by George Pickens’ lack of professionalism and his decision to abandon the commitment he personally confirmed after his trade,” the email stated. “We’ve been forced to navigate this situation with zero notice.”
Not a great look for Pickens and seemingly his one final bit of drama as a parting gift to the city of Pittsburgh. Fortunately, Freiermuth and other Steelers players are willing to step up to make things right for the kids who were looking forward to meeting some of their favorite players.
