There is an odd twist in the story about former Steeler George Pickens bailing on that youth football camp. Pitt product Tyler Boyd discusses the prospect of playing with the Steelers. The Mets are getting ripped for how they played this weekend in Pittsburgh. And there are some local connections to a few NHL development camp storylines.

All that in Monday’s “First Call.”

Moonwalking

The agency that ripped George Pickens is now walking back its criticism of the former Steelers wide receiver.

Last week, TruEdge Sports blasted Pickens for backing out of a youth football camp at Highmark Stadium following his trade to Dallas. It was the company’s contention that Pickens reiterated his plan to run the camp this summer even though he had already been traded to the Cowboys.

But as the original date of the camp (June 28) approached, he decommitted, and tight end Pat Friermuth was pressed into service to take over. From there, camp management sent a scathing letter to parents describing what went wrong, and someone posted it on Reddit.

Now, though, TruEdge is singing a different tune.

“Regrettably, the language used in our original message mischaracterized George’s original intent and actions,” the statement read. “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 now understand that the tone and implications of our message were not only inappropriate but inconsistent with our values as an organization.”

Statement from TruEdge Sports addressing the very overblown narrative surrounding #Cowboys WR George Pickens that claims he backed out of his Pittsburgh football camp at the last minute.

The company says their initial statement was inappropriate. pic.twitter.com/bIo3T6eoWa

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 27, 2025

It’s unclear if Pickens’ representation threatened to file some sort of legal action or if there was any other explanation for TruEdge’s sudden change of heart, but it is evident that they are trying to make amends publicly.

The camp has been rescheduled for July 20 with Freiermuth replacing Pickens.

Clairton connection

Free agent wide receiver Tyler Boyd says he’d have an interest in coming back to Pittsburgh to play for the Steelers if such an opportunity presented itself.

The former Pitt Panther standout was interviewed by 93.7 The Fan’s Austin Bechtold during Boyd’s football camp in his hometown of Clairton.

If the opportunity presented itself, would Tyler Boyd want to come home and play for the Steelers?

“Absolutely” pic.twitter.com/5AjNXHdbPp

— Austin Bechtold (@AustinRBechtold) June 28, 2025

“Absolutely,” Boyd replied when asked if he’d play for the Steelers. “All my family is here. I would be able to have all my family support me. I might not be able to get everybody tickets. But they wouldn’t have a better opportunity than to come to a game at Acrisure Stadium.”

Despite his local roots, Boyd had a few run-ins with the Steelers during his time with the Bengals. In 2021, he said Pittsburgh’s players quit during a home loss to the Bengals in Week 3. He also ripped George Pickens for a lack of effort in 2023.

Yet Boyd still thinks he could work something out with the Steelers.

“I believe so,” he said. “I’m real cool with (Mike) Tomlin. He’s always been a good person. … When I was at Pitt, we had a good relationship. After practice, I would walk over there and talk to AB (Antonio Brown) and those guys, talk to Tomlin. Just pick at different things where I could get myself better.”

In 2024 with Tennessee, Boyd only managed 390 yards on 39 catches. He didn’t have a touchdown. Those are all career lows for Boyd in a full season of games. Prior to that, Boyd spent nine years with the Bengals.

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Gone camping

There are a few NHL development camp notes with local ties in New York. The Rangers are inviting both Matthew DiMarsico and Rasmus Larsson to their development camp.

DiMarsico is a Wexford native who plays at Penn State. He was with the Penguins development camp last year. The Pens Elite alum was part of the Nittany Lions Frozen Four run a year ago.

Larsson is a 2023 fifth-round pick of the Rangers. He is the first NHL draft pick to play for the Robert Morris Colonials.

#NYR Development Camp roster is set. pic.twitter.com/sE1FB5J9EI

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 29, 2025

Also, the Penguins will have a goalie of note from Latvia in their camp. It’s Linards Feldbergs. He’s the goaltender who led Latvia to a 3-2 win over Canada at the World Juniors with 55 saves through regulation and overtime, then stopped every shot in an eight-round shootout.

Feldbergs was the goalie who led Latvia to the win over Canada at the #WorldJuniors. https://t.co/ZE2qQ1SynX

— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) June 30, 2025

The Penguins’ Prospect Development Camp is July 3-7 at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.

Bad weekend, good laugh

A sweep by the Pirates over the Mets has led to ridicule in the New York media.

It turns out that the Mets had a players-only meeting after dropping the first two games of the weekend series in Pittsburgh. Then they turned around and lost to the Bucs, 12-1, to conclude the three-game set on Sunday.

That resulted in a mocking headline from the New York Post.

The back page: Dead MeetMets swept by lowly Pirates after players-only huddleRead More: https://t.co/LQTXpLj0yu pic.twitter.com/u5dtSmZ8MV

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 30, 2025

Not only were the Mets swept here, they were embarrassed. New York came to PNC Park with a half-game lead in the National League East. The Pirates, meanwhile, are the worst team in the National League Central.

Yet the slumbering Bucco bats woke up to outscore New York, 30-4, over three games. The Mets have fallen 1½ games behind Philadelphia in the NL East standings.

The Pirates open a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night. The Mets host the Milwaukee Brewers for three games starting Tuesday.

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