Receiver George Pickens has left Pittsburgh, but he’s still making headlines there.
Word began to emerge on Wednesday that Pickens had canceled his planned appearance at a youth football camp set for Saturday, June 28.
The company that organized the event emailed the families of registered attendees to explain that Pickens, after confirming he’d still participate following his trade to the Cowboys, decided not to participate.
The email, which goes out of its way to repeatedly dump on Pickens, explains that the event has been rescheduled for July 20, with Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (and potentially other Steelers players) replacing Pickens.
While the email from the company sponsoring the event (and charging at least $150 per child for the four-hour camp) has offered a refund for the cost of a Pickens autograph, free autographs from the Steelers players who attend, a full refund for the “Family Experience” package, and a 25-percent credit toward any future camp conducted by the company, one specific thing wasn’t offered — a full and complete refund.
Given that the camp was delayed from Saturday, June 18 to Sunday, July 20, it’s possible that the kids and/or their families can’t make it on July 20. It’s also possible that, given their registration for the “George Pickens Youth Football Camp,” they don’t want to attend if Pickens isn’t there.
Our free advice to the company? Do a little less crapping on Pickens and a little more offering of a full and complete refund to everyone who gave you their money.
Also, the company admits in its email that it knew about the cancellation last week. It didn’t alert the people who had purchased tickets until three days before the event, after it had lined up Freiermuth as a replacement.
Again, offer everyone a full refund. You’ve changed the date by three weeks, and you’ve replaced Pickens with Not Pickens. Everyone who bought a ticket to the George Pickens Youth Football Camp should be given a chance to get their money back.
And if that causes the company to lose money, they can take it up with Pickens. If they got him to sign a binding contract to participate in the event.
The Cowboys will return to Oxnard, California, for a 19th time and for the 46th in Southern California.
The team announced the schedule for its 66th training camp.
Fans will be able to attend the open practice sessions free of charge, beginning with the first workout at 11:45 a.m. PT on Tuesday, July 22 to the final one on Wednesday, Aug. 13. Sixteen practices are open to fans, with public entry opening two hours before practice.
The Cowboys will hold their annual camp opening ceremony and special fan event — Cowboys Back Together Weekend — on Saturday, July 26. The day kicks off at 9:15 a.m. PT with live music, appearances by Cowboys alumni and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, before owner Jerry Jones speaks ahead of the 11:45 a.m. PT practice session.
The Cowboys will host a Heroes Appreciation Day for military personnel and first responders on Thursday, July 31.
The Cowboys and Rams will hold a joint practice in Oxnard on Tuesday, Aug. 5, that is open to fans.
Following the team’s return home, the final portion of training camp will be held at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, with selected practices open to the public that will be announced at a later date.
Visit www.dallascowboys.com/TrainingCamp for more information.
Former Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph is facing a civil suit after a deadly crash earlier this month.
Adam Fullerton of Fox 4 reports that a wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Dallas County claiming gross negligence by Joseph as well as a Richardson, Texas, bar and a Dallas strip club. The father of one of Cody Morris’ children sued Joseph, claiming the NFL free agent was served alcoholic beverages to the point where he became “visibly intoxicated.”
Joseph was arrested and charged with DWI and collision involving personal injury or death earlier this month after Morris, a 27-year-old female motorcyclist, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The plaintiff is seeking more than $10 million for pain and mental anguish, medical care, funeral and burial expenses and other damages on behalf of Morris’ daughter.
Joseph, a second-round pick of the Cowboys in 2021, played two seasons in Dallas before spending time with the Dolphins, Seahawks and Colts. He appeared in two games for the Colts last season, seeing action on 36 special teams snaps.
Longhorn legend Ricky Williams, who also did pretty well as an NFL running back, openly lobbied for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to veto a THC ban that had been passed by the state’s legislature.
Late Sunday night, and roughly an hour before the deadline for doing so, Abbott scrapped the bill. He also issued a lengthy explanation of the decision.
The move saved the hemp industry in Texas. Abbott reasoned that the bill would have caused farmers to choose between that which is legal under federal law (specifically, the 2018 Farm Bill) and that which would have become illegal under state law. He also explained that the law would have triggered a legal that “would never go into effect” due to valid constitutional challenges.
Abbott also called a special session in July aimed at coming up with a solution to the situation that will better reflect current federal law.
Said Williams in opposition to the bill: “This plant helped me stay balanced and healthy through the grind of professional football. Now it’s helping veterans manage PTSD and families manage pain. These changes in the law don’t protect Texans — it punishes them. The people of Texas deserve freedom of choice and don’t need the government to tell them what they can and can’t put in their body. If we have learned anything from the past decade it has been that.”
It was a very contentious issue among Texas politicians. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick argued aggressively for the bill, arguing that THC puts the lives and mental state of users in peril.
The Texas effort cuts against the current national mood regarding THC. It’s permitted for medicinal reasons in more and more states, and recreational marijuana use has been permitted in 24 states and the District of Columbia.
Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson came into the 2024 season off of a strong second year in the NFL, but he wasn’t able to build on it.
After posting 71 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns in 2023, Ferguson managed 59 catches for 494 yards without reaching the end zone at all. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s injury impacted the passing game and Ferguson dealt with health issues of his own, but none of those things changed the way Ferguson felt about his year.
“I definitely wasn’t satisfied with how I played all last year. . . . My knee hurt, for sure,” Ferguson said, via Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “The concussion was weird. But I’ve said this before, if I’m on the field, I should be able to give it my all. I don’t think I’ve ever played a full season and not scored a touchdown. That was something that I came into this offseason really working on. Just trying to really dial in on those things.”
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer chalked it up to a “fluke” season and said that Ferguson’s physical condition and determination have been “noticeably different in a good way” this offseason. Keeping that up through the summer while avoiding injury should put the tight end on a path for a rebound in 2025.
