The NFL decided to do what the Steelers were afraid of regarding the discipline of WR George Pickens

For better and for worse, George Pickens has quickly become the most polarizing member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

At times, he looks like an alien on the football field, hauling in passes that make you shake your head.

Other times, (especially as of late when considering his actions against the Dallas Cowboys) Pickens is in the news for all the wrong reasons.

And now it's going to cost him:

George Pickens fined for Facemask vs. Cowboys

Pickens drew unnecessary attention before the ball was even snapped last Sunday night, writing the phase "Open F***ing Always" across his eyeblack, which besides the fact that it's not very mindful or demure, is illegal per the NFL rulebook.

Cam Heyward once was fined for writing his father's name across his eyeblack, as any message is considered against the rules. When asked about whether or not Pickens knew that he couldn't write messages on his eyeblack, he said the following:

Look, writing a distasteful message across your face is one thing. Should Pickens know the rules and show a little better judgement in his word choice? Of course. But the action that drew the most discourse around the league this week was Pickens' facemask of Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis:

While Pickens didn't have much to say about the play other than saying that the refs makes the calls, Coach Tomlin had plenty to say about Pickens' recent behavior, though he kept things close to the vest, per usual:

"It's certainly something that I'm open to addressing and will and do, said Coach Tomlin earlier in the week when asked about Pickens' behavior, including the eyeblack and facemask on Jourdan Lewis. "I just don't detail them in settings [Press Conferences] like this, because it's business between he and I in terms of his growth and development as a player and as a man. I just don't think it aids growth and development to address it in open settings such as this. Regarding his behavior, I am aware of that, and obviously, that has been and will continue to be addressed. I wasn't aware of the messaging and so, you know, I'm just giving you a knee-jerk response to that."

Well, no need to jerk knees Coach Tomlin, the NFL decided to step in and be the disciplinarian.

At some point though, Pickens is going to have to be the one taking accountability or his time in Pittsburgh will cease to exist past next season, if not before.

Related: Steelers QB Russell Wilson passes the final test required to make his debut against Raiders