Last week, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens admitted to not blocking for running back Jaylen Warren on a touchdown attempt near the end zone because of the potential injury risk. Warren said he would’ve blocked for Pickens in a similar situation while saying he understood where the wide receiver was coming from.
That incident caused Pickens to receive criticism from a pair of Pittsburgh legends. Former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said that Pickens was entitled, and former coach Bill Cowher called for Pickens to receive consequences for his lack of blocking on the play.
The Steelers wide receiver clearly heard the chirping and decided to respond. He dominated the Cincinnati Bengals defense on Saturday and racked up nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns on only four catches.
But it was what he did on the sidelines that is really drawing attention. Pickens looked into one of the game cameras during his performance and mouthed his hand like someone talking before covering his ears. The Steelers wide receiver was clearly saying that he didn't want to hear it:
George Pickens silencing the haters 🤫pic.twitter.com/W3lB6F7F43
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 23, 2023
After the game, Pickens talked about the criticism he received and said that, though he understood the media was doing its job, he kept the receipts, according to Steelers Senior Director of Communications Burt Lauten:
“Question: Overall this week, what were your takeaways from what the experience maybe taught you or what you learned through this?
Pickens: I would probably just say, you know, I kept receipts for sure. But you know, guys and people, they just got a job to do. That is probably the biggest thing I take out of it.”
The Steelers are now 8-7 on the season.
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