Blinksportsnews247When the Pittsburgh Steelers held their postseason media availability on Tuesday, one of the most interesting players was supposed to be highly available.
Unfortunately, any reporters looking for answers to the former first-round pick’s disappointing second season in Pittsburgh were out of luck, as Pickett decided not to participate in the media, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
As Fittipaldo pointed out, the absence of Pickett from the media at the end of the season was remarkable given his status as one of the captains of the Steelers. It also comes at the end of a 2023 campaign in which the 25-year-old dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness as Pittsburgh opted to stick with Mason Rudolph for its final playoff spot and lose to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.
After Rudolph’s second start in the Week 17 win over the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh media Mark Madden noted that Pikedo refused to dress for the game and serve as the Steelers’ quarterback, a claim that Mark Kaboly of The Athletic also found to be true.
During his media availability, the Pitt product denied the allegations, saying he would not be Rudolph’s backup against the Seahawks, which was a health issue.”I saw reports out there that I felt like my character and who I am as a person was under attack,” Pickett told reporters, according to Pro Football Talk. “There’s no question I’m going to be the second-string quarterback this week.
If I was healthy enough to play, if the coaches and trainers felt I looked good enough to play, then I would start and play. If they don’t think I’m what they thought I wasn’t, I won’t dress up or dress up for the game.”So whoever reported this, I don’t know what started it, it’s kind of crazy what people write or bring up to try to prove their point or help their position or career or what have you.
I’m disappointed to see this without evidence or basis.”Maybe Pickett — who was Rudolph’s backup in the Steelers’ regular-season finale and playoff games — had good reason to be in the media on Tuesday. Or maybe he didn’t want to answer any more questions about his sophomore slump.
Regardless of why he wasn’t available to the media, his absence only raises more questions about his seemingly uncertain future in Pittsburgh.
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