Steelers’ George Pickens Under Official NFL Investigation: What You Need to Know

October 11, 2026

This article was last updated by Rimsha Khatri on October 11, 2026

Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver George Pickens has recently made headlines for a very peculiar reason. The wide receiver is under investigation for wearing eye black with explicit message which violated the NFL rules.

Born on March 4, 2001, George Malik Pickens Jr. is an American football wide receiver who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.

Praised for his tall stature, athleticism and spectacular skills, football fans also recognize Pickens for his agressive playing style.

George Pickens Gets Into Trouble For His Explicit Eye Black!

Recently on October 8, 2026, Pittsburgh Steelers played a match against the Dallas Cowboys.

During their 20-17 loss to the Dallas, the team’s wide receiver George Pickens was seen wearing an eye black with an explicit phrase “Open F***ing Always” written in silver.

This action by Pickens clearly violated the NFL’s uniform guidelines and standards pf conduct for on-field messaging. According to league rules, Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 states that,

“Players are prohibited from wearing, displaying or otherwise conveying personal messages either in writing or illustration, unless such message has been approved in advance by the League office.”

Furthermore, the NFL has launched an investigation into the situation, reviewing Picken’s explicit message worn on the Eye Black.

It seems like the rookie wide receiver might receive a potential fine for the violation of the league’s policy.

Moreover there is no evidence of Pickens seeking for an approval from the league prior to wearing that eye black.

While the league never allows the players to use explicit words during the game, Pickens could’ve just submitted “Open Always” for review in order to try and wear that on the game day.

But Pickens revealed that he was unaware of the policy. On asking him about the purpose behind wearing that eye black he said,

“It’s just eye black.”

George Picken

However this isn’t the first time that the Steelers received fine for uniform violations. In 2015 the NFL fined Picken’s teammate Cameron Heyward for writing his late father’s name on his eye black.

George Picken’s controversial eye black undoubtedly took the spotlight as the incident was more discussed than the actual game.

In Case You Didn’t Know

• George Pickens’ father Carl Pickens is a two times Pro-bowl wide receiver who competed for AFC North Rival Cincinnati.
• Pickens played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft.

• Check other Articles on

As a content writer at Players Bio, Rimsha Khatri's primary goal is to write well-researched news articles about athletes and sports. She prioritizes leveraging her literary abilities and creative flair to deliver entertaining and highly informative content to readers and subscribers.

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