The Pittsburgh Steelers have long served as one of the NFL‘s model organizations, both because of how they’ve conducted themselves under head coach Mike Tomlin and because of their consistent success in both the AFC North and the league as a whole. But following Kenny Pickett’s ankle injury during a 24-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, they could be pushed to do the unthinkable and violate a major unwritten rule.
Don’t grab anyone unnecessarily in a pile-up. Try to avoid taking out players who aren’t directly involved in the action. Follow the rules of seniority by keeping quiet as a rookie and respecting the longstanding members of the league. Don’t celebrate excessively when you make a big play while on the wrong end of a lopsided score.
The list of unwritten rules goes on and on, varying from source to source. Each source, though, likely includes the fundamental idea that players shouldn’t lose their jobs while rehabbing an injury suffered during a game.
Well, the Steelers now have no choice but to seriously think about a flagrant violation of that particular guideline.
Midway through the second quarter of the loss to Arizona, Pickett, already operating with tape on his previously injured right ankle, scrambled for the end zone on a third-and-goal play. Not only was he stopped short of paydirt, but he also limped off the field while receiving assistance from the training staff before going first to the injury tent and then to the locker room. He later returned to the sidelines with a boot on his right foot.
Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the quarterback had to go under the knife and is now expected to miss between two and four weeks:
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