Steelers’ George Pickens fined $20,462 for unsportsmanlike conduct flags vs. Bengals

The pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties assessed to Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens during last week’s game in Cincinnati have cost him more than $20,000.

The NFL levied a pair of $10,231 fines to Pickens. They were made public Saturday, as is custom for the league each week.

Pickens was penalized for taunting with 4 minutes, 15 seconds left in the first quarter of last week’s victory at the Bengals. After a catch and run for a 21-yard gain and first down, Pickens deliberately dropped the football onto a prone Cincinnati linebacker Germaine Pratt.

The second unsportsmanlike flag on Pickens came early in the third quarter when after a 36-yard reception, he extended his arm toward the fans’ seating area and appeared to aim and fire a “finger gun.”

In announcing the fine, the NFL termed it a “violent gesture.”

Pickens after the game maintained he was merely giving the first-down signal, a celebratory act he frequently displays. But a review of some of Pickens’ first-down receptions from this season reveals Pickens typically gestures more traditionally like an official’s “first down” signal and does it while pointing toward an end zone and not to the crowd.

"Obviously, he’s a guy who cares more about himself, and you can see that in the penalties that he causes.”https://t.co/20zZ2chvwY

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 6, 2024

Pickens was the only Steelers player fined for an act in the Bengals game.

Pickens was fined by the league twice previously this season, each for a facemask infraction during games against the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders.