Steelers WR George Pickens breaks silence on the entire Instagram saga that escalated after team’s win over the Titans last week

George Pickens revealed his frustration was not because fellow receiver Diontae Johnson scored a touchdown rather not seeing the ball enough during the Titans game.


Steelers WR George Pickens breaks silence on the entire Instagram saga that escalated after team’s win over the Titans last week

Steelers wide receiver George Pickens after practice on Wednesday (Image via YouTube)

George Pickens has been the center of attention for all the wrong reasons lately. The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver went on a social media “cleaning” spree after catching just two balls in a win over the Tennessee Titans.

Despite the wild rumors of him being unhappy with so little service on game day, he denied that his frustration doesn’t stem from the fact he had -1 receiving yards last Thursday. He further added that removing any sign of the Steelers from his Instagram has nothing to do with how he feels. It’s a motto that he abides by not to mix professional life with personal life.

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Pickens had a chat with the press after yesterday’s practice to clear up a few things. He clarified that clearing his Instagram has nothing to do with his no-show against the Titans.

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Just clearing out my page and scrubbing it; not too crazy. Got nothing to do with the Steelers at all.
George Pickens told reporters

Not only that, the 22-year-old also clarified the now-famous picture in which fellow receiver Diontae Johnson celebrated his first touchdown after a while and Pickens sulked on the bench. According to him, that was not the case. Why would he be frustrated by a teammate scoring points? ESPN’s Brooke Pryor asked Pickens, to which he quickly shook his head side to side and said,

Oh, nah! His touchdown engineered the victory, so I don't know how I could be mad at that.

This interaction comes after head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Pickens’ recent antics. Tomlin replied he wasn’t interested in side chatter. He is more focused on next week’s game against the Green Bay Packers.

I know it's a cute story for you guys, but it is a pebble in my shoe. Our focus is on the Green Bay Packers and what we're all going to do in this football game.
Mike Tomlin told reporters

Fellow Steelers stick by George Pickens

When the going gets tough in a team, it is the duty of fellow teammates to pull everybody up. When running back Najee Harris saw Pickens wasn’t having a good outing against the Titans, he pulled the former Georgia product and tried to cheer him up.

Steelers WR George Pickens breaks silence on the entire Instagram saga that escalated after team’s loss to the Titans last week
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (Image via IMAGO)

“They’re not going to let you be a game-wrecker,” Harris said Wednesday, relaying part of the message he gave to Pickens. He tried to lay it in front of him so that the opposition would put more coverage on the best players. As a result, it will create more space for other players.

I was telling GP, it's OK; there's nothing wrong with being frustrated; it's just how you handle things. You've got to keep your composure.
Harris told ESPN.com

Coach Tomlin’s teams over the years have been famous for such camaraderie. The Steelers currently sit with 5 wins from 8 games and are second in the AFC North behind the Baltimore Ravens. They will play the Packers this week in Pittsburgh.

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