TruEdge Sports Backtracks After Criticizing George Pickens Over Youth Camp No-Show

TruEdge Sports don't hold any grudge toward George Pickens for ditching a youth camp which he had allegedly promised to attend.

TruEdge Sports Backtracks After Criticizing George Pickens Over Youth Camp No-Show

George Pickens (Image via IMAGO)

Earlier this week, TruEdge Sports called out wide receiver George Pickens for ghosting them despite agreeing to attend a youth camp in Pittsburgh. The agreement happened when Pickens was still a Steelers player. However, he left Pittsburgh after the brass traded him to the Dallas Cowboys.

According to an official tweet, the organizing committee reached out to Pickens several times even after the trade to confirm whether he would still attend. However, they were allegedly ghosted by the 24-year-old.

Pickens already had a choppy reputation on social media due to his poor attitude on and off the field. The tweet made it even worse.

After witnessing the negativity on various social media platforms, TruEdge Sports suddenly changed its stand on Pickens. On Friday, they posted a new tweet that read,

At no point did George communicate with us directly, and our communications with George’s representatives led to confusion about the camp’s status and future direction. Regrettably, the language used in our original message mischaracterized George’s intent and actions.

The damage was already done, and Pickens is partly to blame for it. If he had a clean career slate, then the Steelers wouldn’t have traded him. He had been their best receiver since the post-Antonio Brown era by averaging 16.3 yards per catch in 48 games.

Ditching the youth camp was just another of his shenanigans, much like his blunt revelation about forcing his trade. Regardless of what had happened in the past, TruEdge Sports tried to restore some measure of Pickens’ dignity by posting the latest tweet.

While our frustrations stemmed from the uncertainty surrounding the event, it was never our intention to publicly question George’s professionalism, integrity, or commitment to the community… We recognize that he was navigating a significant career transition during this time and that his team kept open lines of communication with us.

Fortunately for the kids who signed up for the camp, the Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth agreed to replace Pickens for the event.

Former NFL wide receiver calls out George Pickens for skipping youth camp

TruEdge Sports might have cast all the ill will toward George Pickens away, but not everyone found it in their heart to look the other way. TJ Houshmandzadeh, who represented the Steelers’ divisional rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, during his NFL career, had some harsh choice of words for Pickens.

TruEdge Sports Backtracks After Criticizing George Pickens Over Youth Camp No-Show
George Pickens (Image via IMAGO)

[George Pickens] just don’t give a damn. His representatives were like, ‘Hey, you need to do this.’ He probably was like, ‘No, I ain’t doing it. I don’t care. I ain’t doing it. I don’t care what you say. I’m not doing this. I think it’s unfortunate because he’s probably going to take a hit in his reputation.

TJ Houshmandzadeh said on Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson’s Nightcap podcast. (H/T: Athlon Sports)

Pickens must make amends for his past mistakes on the football field. The Cowboys present a great opportunity for him to go on and bag his first major NFL payday. At present, he earns just over $1.6 million through his rookie contract, which is set to finish after the 2025 season.

The Cowboys play three preseason friendlies against the Rams, Ravens, and Falcons before traveling to the home of the champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, in week one.

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