George Pickens was traded this offseason from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Dallas Cowboys, but somehow there is still drama circulating around the bombastic wide receiver in his former city.
It all involves around a scheduled youth camp appearance with a group called TruEdge Sports. With the trade to Dallas, Pickens understandably backed out of the George Pickens Youth Football Camp.
However, an e-mail from the sponsoring group that blasted Pickens and assaulting his character became public. In the original statement, they blamed Pickens for reversing on his commitment even after the trade.
Our team at TruEdge 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. We are incredibly disappointed by his actions and his actions do not express the goals or motives of TruEdge Sports,” said the company.
Ouch.
However, after that e-mail to attendees became public, TruEdge Sports quickly reversed course regarding George Pickens. An updated release, while not an apology, said that communication happened with Pickens’ representatives and not the receiver himself. And it backtracked on calling out Pickens’ character.
Statement from TruEdge Sports addressing the very overblown narrative surrounding #Cowboys WR George Pickens that claims he backed out of his Pittsburgh football camp at the last minute.
The company says their initial statement was inappropriate. pic.twitter.com/bIo3T6eoWa
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 27, 2025
“Regrettably, the language used in our original message mischaracterized George’s intent and actions. While our frustrations stemmed from the uncertainty surrounding the event, it was never our intention to publicly question George’s professionalism, integrity, or commitment to the community. We now understand that the tone and implications of our message were not only inappropriate but inconsistent with our values as an organization,” the statement read in part.
“We recognize that he was navigating a significant career transition during this time and that his team kept open lines of communication with us.”
Hopefully this puts whatever controversy arose to bed, but it’s clear that TruEdge Sports could have handled the situation a lot better. It’s always unfortunate when things don’t turn out according to plan, but that’s the real world of the NFL where players can be traded and move cities at a moment’s notice. While it looks like the company tried their best to make it work with other members of the Steelers, their inability to offer a full refund and their throwing of Pickens under the bus were significant mistakes as Mike Florio observed.
Drama seems to follow George Pickens around wherever he goes, but at least this time it looks like he wasn’t at fault.