Report: NFL reviewing George Pickens NSFW message on eye black vs. Cowboys

The NFL is reviewing a message that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens wore on his eye black during Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, according to ESPN. The tape read “Open F***ing Always,’ in silver.

The report noted that Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 of the league’s rules states that players are not allowed to be on the field “wearing, displaying or otherwise conveying personal messages either in writing or illustration, unless such a message has been approved in advance by the league office.”

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about the eye black earlier this week but said he was unaware of the issue.

“I don’t know what messaging you’re talking about regarding his eye black. I didn’t have any outlying issue with his effort,” Tomlin said on Tuesday.

Both Cam Hayward and DeAngelo Williams were fined in 2015 for wearing eye black that honored their respective family. It remains to be seen how the league will deal with Pickens’ situation, but the instances nearly a decade ago did not have any expletive wordings on their tape.

Pickens caught three passes for 26 yards during Sunday night’s 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He is the Steelers’ leading receiver through the first five games of the season, catching 23 passes for 310 yards but is still looking for his first touchdown of the year.

Now in his third season in the league out of Georgia, Pickens recorded his first 1,000-yard season in 2023 and surpassed the 2,000-yard receiving mark in his career earlier this season. As a rookie, he contributed over 800 receiving yards to the team as a second-round draft choice.

Next up for the Pittsburgh Steelers is a road trip to Las Vegas to face Aidan O’Connell and the Raiders on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET and will air live on CBS before hosting the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football during Week 7.