Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens can make an impactful play on the football field in the matter of seconds. On January 2, he ended a session with the media just as quickly.
After receiving a question from Pittsburgh Sports Now’s Alan Saunders, Pickens declined to provide an answer and began walking out of the locker room.
Saunders posted video of the moment on X (formerly Twitter). The video received more than 725,000 views in under 24 hours.
The question Pickens refused to answer was about the chemistry between Pickens and Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.
“George, it seems like you and Russ weren’t on the same page on that interception against the Chiefs,” said Saunders. “How does that happen, and what do you do to address it?”
Pickens questioned the question in a passive aggressive manner.
“You said me and Russell wasn’t on the same page?” Pickens responded.
“Yeah, well, that’s what he said,” said Saunders.
“That’s what he said? Or is that what you said? Pickens asked.
After Saunders repeated again that Wilson said they weren’t on the same page, Pickens ended the interview.
What Russell Wilson Said About George Pickens on INT vs. Chiefs
In summary, the contention between Saunders and Pickens was about semantics.
Wilson never used the phrase, “not on the same page” when describing himself and Pickens on the pass attempt that ended in an interception versus the Kansas City Chiefs. But Wilson admitted he believed Pickens was going to be somewhere else on the field.
“I thought he was going to go vertical,” Wilson said after Week 17 on December 25. “But at the end of the day, it can’t happen. It’s on me. I was trying to give Pat [Freiermuth] a chance.
“He’s done a good job for us down in the red zone, and they made a good play.”
Saunders argued on X that Wilson’s answer was the same as saying he wasn’t on the same page as Pickens.
@LewisStickey @ATG_SportsMedia Russ said they weren’t on the same page. It being verbatim or not is irrelevant. The meanin
Steelers fans on social media, and obviously Pickens, disagreed. However, it’s not really clear if Pickens was aware of Wilson’s actual response on December 25.
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Defends Pickens
Saunders could have phrased his question differently. But the question was more than fair, and it doesn’t go viral if Pickens provides a cliché answer that most athletes do.
Pickens could have helped himself by meeting with the media earlier in the week too. Social media users wondered why Saunders was asking Pickens a question about Week 17 eight days after the game.
But Saunders tweeted that it was the first time Pickens met with reporters since the game.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did his best to end any potential Pickens controversy with an answer about the No. 1 receiver on December 30.
“Not at all,” Tomlin said when asked if Pickens broke off his route on the interception against the Chiefs. “George’s route running had zero to do with that interception.
“George was fine last weekend or last Wednesday.”
Tomlin also addressed Pickens’ noticeable frustration in the fourth quarter versus the Chiefs.
“Frustrations are a component of losing. I tend to focus my energies on constructing victory and worry less about those things,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got good people, including George.
“We’re able to get over some of those bumps in the road that are associated with failure and keep it moving.”
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Steelers’ George Pickens Goes Viral After Abruptly Ending Media Interview