Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens has backed out of hosting a youth football camp in Pittsburgh at the last minute, despite giving assurances that he would still hold the camp following his trade to the Dallas Cowboys.
Pickens had been scheduled to host the youth camp, run by TruEdge Sports, at Highmark Stadium on June 28. He was traded to the Cowboys on May 7. After the trade, TruEdge had assured campers that Pickens had communicated his desire to continue to host the camp in Pittsburgh.
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmanzadeh called out George Pickens for being selfish and inconsiderate to the family and kids who were looking forward to the camp.
“I don’t know if you know George, I’ve been around him a little bit,” Houshmanzadeh said recently on the Nightcap. “He just don’t give a damn. His representatives were like, ‘Hey, you need to do this. He probably was like, ‘No, I ain’t doing it. I don’t care, I ain’t doing it. I don’t care what you say. I’m not doing this.’
“I think it’s unfortunate because he’s probably going to take a hit in his reputation. I don’t think he gives a damn. But those kids, that’s the part of it. They just going to be disappointed.”
On Tuesday, TruEdge released a statement on Pickens bailing on the event.
“Immediately following the trade, our team contacted George’s representation to confirm whether he would still honor his commitment to the Pittsburgh event. We were promptly assure that George remained committed to the camp and intended to show up for families who had registered. Based on that confirmation, we communicated this directly to you via email and text on May 9.
“Unfortunately, as of last week, TruEdge was notified be 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.”
TruEdge said that the camp, which has been sold out for months, will go on as scheduled, with Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth stepping in to replace Pickens. The group is also talking with multiple other Steelers players about attending. Freiermuth and the other Steelers players will also be signing autographs for the campers.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former NFL WR Calls Out George Pickens for Bailing on Youth Football Camp: ‘He Just Don’t Give a Damn’
