Fans slam NFL after George Pickens hit with $20,462 fine - "No Fun League"

George Pickens is easily the most talented wideout that the Pittsburgh Steelers have had since Antonio Brown, but he is also among its most volatile talents. And the consequence of his latest incident once again proves it.

On Staturday, the NFL league office announced that he was being fined $20,462 -his fourth and largest fine of the 2024 season - for two unsportsmanlike acts, one of them being doing the finger gun towards fans after making a 46-yard catch against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday:

Fans were unhappy, however:

"No Fun League"

"That's highway robbery! The league is so soft. Pickens should seek legal action," another fan suggested.

More of it can be seen below:

"Is the NFL going broke?" one wondered.

"Free George Pickens," another "demanded".

"What about Josh Allen’s sane gesture??" another compared.

Pickens is no stranger to altercations and fines in his NFL career. As a rookie, he was once ejected from a game against the Bengals for illegally hitting wide receiver Tyler Boyd in the final seconds.

Earlier this season, he was fined twice against the Dallas Cowboys: for carrying an explicit message on his eye black, then dragging cornerback Jourdan Lewis down by the face mask.

---

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin: George Pickens needs to grow up

With a few exceptions, almost every Steelers top wideout in the 21st century has been involved in a controversy. Antonio Brown is the most notorious example, but there have been others - from Martavis Bryant's marijuana issues to JuJu Smith-Schuster's TikTok videos.

And head coach Mike Tomlin is hoping that George Pickens does not go their path, but rather that of Hines Ward, who was mainly scandal-free throughout his career. He said, per ESPN:

"He's just got to grow up, man. This is an emotional game, man. These divisional games are big. He's got a target on his back because he's George, he understands that. But he's got to grow up. He's got to grow up in a hurry."

Meanwhile, teammates Broderick Jones and Russell Wilson also discussed conversing with him over his behavior:

Jones: "I don't try and give him a whole speech or whatnot, just a couple words of encouragement or just, 'Be smart.' verybody knows you're a playmaker, we just got to stop the stupid things.'"

Wilson: "I was telling him on the sideline, 'When you're one of the best in the world, you expect to make those plays, and you don't need to do anything extra necessarily.' ...He's learning it as we go. He's got to be smarter, too, though, and he's going to do that."

George Pickens and the Steelers rematch the Cleveland Browns tomorrow at Acrisure Stadium. There is already a built-in narrative, as he was seen fighting cornerback Greg Newsome II during the previous game's last play.