George Pickens (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The NFL is investigating Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver George Pickens for a potential uniform violation, stemming from the eye black he wore in Week 5 with a vulgar message.
During the Steelers’ Week 5 home game against the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football”, close-up cameras showed George Pickens wearing eye black with a message reading, “Open F**KING Always.”
According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, the league is now investigating Pickens “for a potential fine over violation of the league’s uniform policy.” As Pryor noted, the league has a rule that bans players from “wearing, displaying or otherwise conveying personal messages either in writing or illustration, unless such message has been approved in advance by the League office.”
#STEELERS WR GEORGE PICKENS IS NOT PLAYING AROUND, HIS EYE BLACK:
“OPEN F*CKING ALWAYS”
😤 pic.twitter.com/dKSsQKACWO— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) October 7, 2024
The 23-year-old George Pickens had his quietest outing of the season on Sunday, hauling in only three catches on seven targets. This was a major drop-off from Pickens’ Week 4 outing against the Indianapolis Colts, where he caught seven passes for 113 yards.
George Pickens running routes last night
what do you notice? pic.twitter.com/viBVOL2I7K
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 7, 2024
Pickens is coming off the best season of his young career, hauling in 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. Through his first five games of 2024, the 2022 second-round pick has 3 catches for 310 yards and no touchdowns.
The Steelers were a fourth-down stop away from beating Dallas to improve to 4-1, but Dak Prescott found Jalen Tolbert in the end zone for the game-winning TD in the waning seconds. Pittsburgh is now 3-2 heading into their Week 6 road game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Steelers Need More From George Pickens & The Offense
The TJ Watt-led defense will always give the Steelers a chance to win, but Pittsburgh won’t compete for a Super Bowl unless the offense finds its rhythm and consistency.
Pittsburgh opened a void at WR when they traded star Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. If the offense (especially the passing game) doesn’t get going soon, GM Omar Khan should explore the trade market for a receiver like Amari Cooper (Cleveland Browns) or DeAndre Hopkins (Tennessee Titans) or even Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders) if he’s still available.
Travis Kelce Used One Word To Describe His Whirlwind Relationship With Taylor Swift
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 11: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Taylor Swift embrace after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Travis Kelce is proud to have girlfriend Taylor Swift by his side, and he doesn’t mind that the whole world is watching.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been dating since at least September 2023 when she shocked everybody by showing up to Arrowhead Stadium. The move came months after Kelce first publicly expressed interest in Swift, after attending one of her concerts and failing to send a friendship bracelet to her with his number on it.
Travis Kelce knows just how obsessed the world is with his relationship.
“I’m very aware,” Kelce said when asked whether he understands the “impact” his romance with Taylor Swift was having on the NFL.
“Obviously, this is mostly because Taylor’s in my life now and we got her [to be] part of Chiefs Kingdom,” he explained in a resurfaced interview with sports reporter Laura Okmin ahead of the Super Bowl.
“And sure enough, that brought an entire entourage of human beings who just love to support her and love to support everything that she’s about.”
He used an incredible word to describe their relationship.
“With that being said, I do, you know, have a guarded approach to it,” he explained before Super Bowl 58. “But at the same time, I know what me and Taylor have is special, so I get [the interest].”
Taylor Swift was spotted at 13 of Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs football games this past season, first popping up in a box at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri on Sept. 24, 2023. The team won 10 of the 13 games at which she’s been in attendance.
That also included the team winning playoff games over the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and then the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.
Kelce finished the Super Bowl with nine receptions for 93 yards, including a crucial catch in overtime.
The 34-year-old slowed down slightly in 2023, finishing with 93 catches for 984 yards and five touchdowns. It should be noted he did miss two games, Week 1 due to injury and Week 17 as he chose to sit out with the Chiefs not playing for anything.
