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Steelers Player Had Classy Move After George Pickens Bailed on Youth Football Camp

Kristen Wong

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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George Pickens's rocky tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't end on the worst of terms, but his latest scrutinized actions may have further soured the Steelers fanbase's opinions of him.

Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in May and has since revealed he "forced" his way out of Pittsburgh following his up-and-down 2024–25 campaign with the Steelers. The 24-year-old wideout now gets a fresh start in the NFC East, where he'll be catching balls from quarterback Dak Prescott as well as trying to win Cowboys fans over.

A recent account about Pickens's inconsiderate behavior won't help with the latter: the ex-Steelers star apparently bailed on his summer football camp at Highmark Stadium at the last minute, according to TruEdge Sports, a company that specializes in youth sports camps.

It's important to note that the company checked with Pickens after the Cowboys trade to see if he was still committed and would still show up to the event, scheduled for June 28. Pickens said he would, but allegedly backed out last week.

"Unfortunately, as of last week, TruEdge was notified by George's team that he has decided to walk back on his word and is no longer interested in attending the camp," the company wrote.

Thankfully, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth volunteered his services and offered to help run the camp in Pickens's absence. A few other Steelers players may be joining as well.

Nothing but class from the Steelers' young star.

The Steelers will no doubt be happy to put the drama-filled days of the George Pickens era behind them and are now jumping into a boat with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the upcoming season. What could possibly go wrong?

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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