Just when fans of the Black and Gold thought George Pickens had put the Week 10 grappling match between himself and Washington CB Mike Sainristil behind him, the NFL has decided to intervene on one key aspect of the altercation.
Towards the end of the third quarter in the Steelers’ Week 10 matchup against the Washington Commanders, QB Russell Wilson threw an interception, and Pickens took it upon himself to perform his best rendition of a three-point takedown on Sainristil, who was seemingly all but removed from the play.
While it’s unsurprising that the NFL took exception to Pickens’ actions and decided to fine him, the intriguing aspect is what the league chose to penalize the Steelers’ WR $16,883 for: a face-mask penalty.
George Pickens was fined $16,883 for a unnecessary roughness (facemask) on this play pic.twitter.com/iY4f2ODgcy
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) November 16, 2024
With the 7-2 Pittsburgh Steelers enjoying an impressive start to their 2024 campaign and needing as few outside distractions as possible, hopefully Pickens will treat the situation as a wake-up call.
