The Dallas Cowboys made a reasonable gamble earlier this spring post-draft when they traded a third round pick in 2026 in exchange for the services of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, George Pickens.
After reports that the former Georgia wideout was impressing at mandatory minicamp began to vindicate the Cowboys’ decision, some unflattering news came out about Pickens on Wednesday.
Per TrueEdge Sports, Pickens renegaded on his agreement to attend a youth camp run by the organization, aptly named the ‘George Pickens Youth Football Camp’, in Pittsburgh, despite having previously confirmed his appearance after being traded to Dallas.
Wild: George Pickens is skipping his youth football camp that was set up prior to him being traded to the #Cowboys.
He had committed to going even after the trade â but walked back his word.
Thankfully, Pat Friermuth is stepping in as a guest, with other players expected to⦠pic.twitter.com/guDaJdPc03
â JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) June 25, 2025
Youth Camp Organizers Lament Pickens’ Short-Notice Absence
Writing in a letter to participants, TrueEdge noted that Pickens was supposed to show up to a youth event on June 28th, having previously confirmed with him that he was good to show up two days after being traded on to the Cowboys on May 7th.
And the organization did not hold back on its frustration towards the 2,800 yard wideout, throwing some harsh words in his direction for all to witness.
“Unfortunately, as of last week, TrueEdge was notified by George’s team that he has decided to walk back on his word and is no longer interested in attending the camp. Let us be very clear: we are deeply frustrated by this decision and the position it has placed all of us in.
Our team at True Edge was fully prepared to host a camp this Saturday because we were led to believe George would follow through on his commitment. His sudden decision to back out not only reflects a disappointing lack of accountability, but also shows a disregard for the families and children who were excited to meet him.”
Thankfully, for both TrueEdge and the young participants, Steelers tight end, Pat Freiermuth came in at the eleventh hour to as the camp’s guest.
Does This Add Another Stain To Pickens’ Character Concerns
Pickens was already considered a bad locker room guy – to put it bluntly – prior to this event.
He slipped to the second round of the draft after multiple teams had concerns about his off-the-field. And it showed, where punctuality difficulties, and on the field effort remained issues over the course of his three-year stint in Pittsburgh.
This event in isolation is hardly some heinous, egregious crime: sometimes things happen in life, and you have to cancel events and occasions.
But it does point to a poor track record of not equalling his high caliber of play with his conduct in his day-to-day life.
And for a Cowboys team that looks to have him star on a rejuvenated offense, they will certainly hope that his intra-team behaviour is more friendly than some of his past actions.
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