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Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH — Greg Newsome? George Pickens doesn’t know him — or at least that’s what the Steelers receiver said days away from a rematch with the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers’ Week 12 loss to the Browns was punctuated by a scuffle between Pickens and the Browns defensive back during a game-ending Hail Mary attempt.
Asked if he would talk to Newsome before Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh, Pickens was dismissive.
“I don’t even know who that is,” the Steelers’ third-year receiver said Friday.
Pickens also doubled-down on his postgame assertion that he didn’t think the Browns “are a good team at all.”
“I just go by the record,” he said.
Pickens and Newsome were engaged with each other as they ran downfield toward the snowy end zone during that Thursday night game, and Pickens appeared to drag Newsome out of the end zone. Pickens continued the altercation with Newsome against the retaining wall separating stadium seats from the field until security and stadium personnel pulled the wide receiver from Newsome.
After the game, Newsome called Pickens a “fake tough guy,” and Friday he responded to Pickens’ latest comments and addressed how he’s going to handle a trash-talk filled rematch.
“I’m all about the team,” Newsome said. “Obviously he’s a guy that cares more so about himself, and you can see that in the penalties he causes. For me, my job is to try and do whatever I can to help the team win. There’s never going to be no one-on-one battle for me. My battle is to try and help my team get the win.”
“He does that type of stuff all the time. There will never be a man that could fuel me in any type of way.”
Neither Pickens nor Newsome were fined by the league for the Hail Mary altercation, though Newsome did say that Pickens’ behavior was “unnecessary” and he was surprised the NFL didn’t issue a fine.
“Things like that, I think, is definitely unnecessary,” he said. “And the league has done a great job in fining unnecessary behavior. But if they didn’t see it as a fine, that’s cool with me. I’m just going to go out and try to, like I said, help my team get a win.”
A week later, Pickens drew two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the Bengals for throwing down the ball at Bengals defenders after a catch and for making what officials believed to be a violent gesture after another. Pickens also punted the ball into the stands after scoring a touchdown.
After the Bengals win, coach Mike Tomlin said Pickens needed to grow up.
“He’s just got to grow up man,” Tomlin said. “This emotional game, man, these divisional games are big. He 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.”
In his Tuesday news conference, Tomlin declined to peel back the curtain on how he handles and counsels Pickens.
“I’m not going to give you any detail about what goes on behind the scenes in terms of his growth and development,” Tomlin said. “That’s my style, and I’m going to be really consistent in it. Being transparent with you guys doesn’t necessarily help or accelerate the growth process and that’s my agenda, not necessarily feeding the beast.”
Friday, Pickens said he wasn’t sure how to limit his in-game penalties.
“I’m out here making plays and doing the same celebrations that every other receiver’s doing, so I’m not sure,” he said. “… When you’re playing hard and the league has a target on your back, then you possibly, I’m not saying 100 percent, but you possibly could get flags.”
Asked if he thought he had a target on his back, Pickens said he didn’t know and he hoped not.
“I’m just out here playing like every other receiver,” he said.