FRISCO – George Pickens’ reputation as an overly-emotional bad apple is what makes – or made – a hateful IG post seem believable.

But is it?

Pickens was entering the final year of his rookie contract this offseason with the Pittsburgh Steelers after turning into one of the NFL’s best deep-threat wide receivers. Last week, his career took a turn when he was acquired by the Dallas Cowboys in a trade that essentially sent a third-round draft pick to the Steelers.

Many believed Pittsburgh and head coach Mike Tomlin had grown tired of Pickens’ immaturity and troublesome behavior, which could have led to his time with the Steelers being cut short.

Now, in the wake of the move, Pickens seemingly called out his former team in an Instagram comment that has gone viral and stirred rumors about Pickens’ true thoughts of his former team.

The post above claims to have screenshotted the comment left by Pickens’ personal Instagram account (@1.issue) that rips into the Steelers, calling them the “cheapest organization” in the NFL.

Pickens, however, quickly denounced the post as a fabrication.

“Literally on a plane,” Pickens wrote on Instagram in response to criticism he began receiving for the original post. “No service. Just landed and seen straight lies from Pitt fans. Stop with AI trying to make a story. I’m happy for everything the Steel City did for me. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there.”

These alleged comments from Pickens come just a few days after an introductory conference call the Cowboys hosted with Pickens and Dallas media members. … and they come in combination with Jerry Jones’ daughter Charlotte posting a photo of Pickens hanging out with the Jones family.

So all is well?

In the call, Pickens was quoted sounding excited to be a part of a “winning culture” with the Cowboys, but refrained from saying any bad things about his former team or the factors that lead to his trade.

Pickens did mention that the NFL is a “business”, which acknowledges the harsh reality that players aren’t always as secure as they might imagine.

The rest of that conference call led many to believe that Pickens had taken a humble and mature approach to his situation. Hopefully his explanation is truthful … which would back up that hope.

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