Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens raised eyebrows on Wednesday when he congratulated Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce following a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mahomes and Kelce joined Netflix’s Stacey Dales to talk about the team’s 29-10 win.
Mahomes had 320 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Kelce had eight catches for 84 yards and a touchdown and hit the 1,000-career receptions mark during the game.
As the two star players were talking, Pickens interrupted the interview to give his respect.
The move sparked a debate among fans. Some praised Pickens for good sportsmanship while others were cynical and thought it was a signal from the wide receiver to the Chiefs star to influence a trade at some point in the future.
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Pickens had three catches on seven targets for 50 yards.
The wide receiver has been a source of consternation over the course of the season. He got into a fight with a Cleveland Browns player on one of the last plays of the game in their matchup last month. He was then flagged for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Pickens’ antics earlier this month.
“I’m not going to give you any detail about what goes on behind the scenes in terms of his growth and development,” Tomlin said. “That’s my style, and I’m going to be really consistent in it. Being transparent with you guys doesn’t necessarily help or accelerate the growth process, and that’s my agenda, not necessarily feeding the beast.”
Wednesday’s game was Pickens’ first after missing three with injuries.
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