Steelers’ George Pickens Penalized by NFL for ‘Open F–king Always’ with Eye Black vs. Cowboys | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was fined $10,231 by the NFL for displaying a “personal message” on his black eye, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

During the Steelers’ 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, Pickens’ eye black read “Open F–king Always.”

ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported earlier on Wednesday that the league was reviewing the news of a fine for violating the NFL’s uniform policy.

The league’s rule book states that, according to Pryor, players are prohibited from “carrying, displaying or otherwise transmitting any personal message, whether written or illustrative, unless such message has been approved in advance by the Office of the League approved.”

Pickens revealed that he knew nothing about the NFL’s uniform policy before showing the message, telling reporters on Thursday that “it was just black in the eye.”

It was a costly week for Pickens, as he was fined an additional $10,230 for grabbing Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis’ face mask at the end of the game (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones). Lewis was also fined $11,255 for taunting the receiver before the incident.

Pickens was targeted seven times against Dallas and caught three passes for 27 yards. He was on the field for just 34 snaps, the lowest mark of his career.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin wasn’t worried about Pickens’ lack of playing time.

“As I mentioned after the game… this is just a quick management thing and an attempt to be more productive in terms of analysis in today’s game. “We do that at a lot of positions, especially when you look at the entirety of a 17-game schedule,” Tomlin said of Pryor on Tuesday.

Pickens started the 2024 season strong before his quiet game against Dallas, recording 20 catches for 284 yards through the first four weeks of the year. However, he failed to find the end zone this season after catching five touchdown passes in 2023.

The former second-round pick will look to get back on track when the Steelers take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:05 p.m. ET.