Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had an unscheduled press conference on December 20 to address the drama surrounding Pickens. Despite calls for the Steelers to bench Pickens, Tomlin said the receiver would play. However, Tomlin did fire a message that seemed intended for Pickens. “When you’re winning and doing your jobs, a lot of the attention is on things such as that,” Tomlin said, via Steelers insider Amanda Godsey. “When you’re not doing your job and losing, you better keep your damn mouth shut and understand that that tracks a certain type of attention, as well.
“And usually that’s vulture-like attention.” Those are harsh words. Tomlin also added that any discipline for Pickens will not be made public. But for some pundits, that won’t be enough of a punishment. The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly called what Pickens said about wanting to avoid an injury was “a direct slap in the face of teammates.” “Tomlin had a chance to make a much-needed statement that would resonate throughout the locker room after three of the worst losses of his career in a span of 14 days,” Kaboly wrote. “Instead, he chose to coddle Pickens’ psyche.
“Whether he sits out a play, or a series, or is not introduced with the starters to the crowd is moot. With everything that has surrounded Pickens this year — and most, if not all, is driven by his lack of big numbers because of a bad offense and bad quarterback play — he needed to be publicly embarrassed.” Instead, Pickens will play, as the Steelers hope to avoid another embarrassing final score for the fourth straight week.
