After Dallas Cowboys wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were both benched for the first drive of the Week 11 game versus the Las Vegas Raiders, Lamb explained what led to both players getting punished.
However, it appears the reason he gave for Pickens wasn't accurate.
On Thursday, Lamb told reporters that he and Pickens missed the team's 10 p.m. Curfew after dinner and drinks at Red Rock Casino the night before the game.
But Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said to 105.3 The Fan on Friday that Pickens missed the team bus on gameday, which led to him getting benched, according to ESPN.
"He's not going to play favorites with anybody," Jones said of head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
"He felt very strongly [about] that, that was part of it. I think a lot of people thought (Lamb and Pickens) had to be together because they are great friends, but believe it or not, one was of the night before leading into the morning, and the other one was missing the buses."
According to reports, this isn't the first time Pickens has had issues making a team bus or plane on time during his career.
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said earlier this year that he heard Pickens was late for the team plane and bus on multiple occasions while with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“George Pickens had stepped over and crossed the line a bit too many times and I know people that play with the Steelers. He’d be late for the team plane that would be flying out to away games multiple times. He’d be late to get on the team bus and they had enough of it,” Houshmandzadeh said on the Up On Game podcast.
There was another report that Pickens had showed up late to the Steelers' Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17 last season.
"When he was finally healthy, how did he respond?" The Athletic's Mike DeFabo wrote. "By showing up late for the Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Tomlin asks players to report to games at least two hours before kickoff. On Dec. 25, Pickens walked through the media entrance an hour and 25 minutes before kickoff. That was after inactive players were announced."
Pickens didn't come to Dallas with a good reputation after behavioral issues with the Steelers, so this isn't going to help dispel the notion he can be a problem.
And that's bad news for his chances of getting the lucrative, long-term deal he's going to be seeking in 2026, when he's slated to be a free agent.
The Cowboys already have plenty of motivation not to pay Pickens, simply because they are already shelling out big bucks for Lamb. If Pickens continues to have issues, it'll give Dallas even more motivation.
Pickens needs to keep his nose clean from here on out or else he may not get the offers he is hoping for next offseason.
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