Eagles

Yinzer Beat Writer Says Steelers “Definitely Got Their Word Out There Pretty Quickly” in Kenny Pickett Smear Campaign

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jul 1st, 2024 · 2:32 PM EDT

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One of the things that was obvious four months ago was the Yinzer smear campaign against Kenny Pickett.

Not that it’s necessarily unique to kill a guy on his way out (see: Simmons, Ben), but the volume and tenor of the anti-Pickett tweets from Pittsburgh media made it very clear that the Steelers were ahead of the narrative.

That was more or less confirmed by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Ray Fittipaldo, who went on 93.7 the Fan and said this (transcription via Matthew Marczi at Steelers Depot):

“I don’t know if I want to go as far as character assassination,” but it was pretty close. The instant reaction from Yinzer media was that Pickett was an arrogant punk and a poor sport, so obviously the amplified message was that of the anti-Pickett portion of the organization:

The Steelers made the move because of the way Pickett was poorly handling the arrival of Russell Wilson, according to sources. That came on the heels of Pickett’s behavior last season when he refused to dress as the emergency third quarterback in Seattle in Week 17. https://t.co/mirLR1UJFP

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) March 15, 2024

Ken Pickett being a self-centered, arrogant punk will definitely be the most surprising story for me of this decade. I thought he was gonna be the #Steelers Sidney Crosby, but he turned out to be the #Steelers Barry Bonds w 10% of the talent.

— David Todd (@DavidMTodd) March 16, 2024

No matter. Pickett will back up Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. He’ll get the opportunity to compete. He’ll be treated much better by the fair and balanced Philadelphia media. Pittsburgh media carries water for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers organization because they are the greatest thing ever and can do no wrong.

I wrote this in the last column:

“It kind of flies under the radar, since our ire is directed mostly at Cowboys and Niners fans, but Steelers fans and media can be just as bad in the privilege department. They win a bunch of Super Bowls and think they’re god’s gift to football. I was going to slit my wrists the next time somebody said “one for the thumb” at WVU in 2006. Nobody deserves a decade of utter mediocrity more than the Pittsburgh Steelers and their entitled fans and media, who lack the emotional intelligence that’s pervasive in southeastern Pennsylvania and into the great state of New Jersey. I have no doubts that Kenny Pickett, playing for a real franchise with a real culture and real fans, will settle in and become a solid backup for Jalen Hurts, ready to take over for the former at a moment’s notice.”

 

h/t Ryan for sending this over