Steelers' Kenny Pickett denies report he 'refused' to be backup, says rumor was 'attacking my character'

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Kenny Pickett was inactive for a fourth-straight game despite being medically cleared to return this past weekend.

Instead, the Pittsburgh Steelers went with Mason Rudolph, who had taken over for Mitch Trubisky the week prior.

The decision to sit Pickett wound up working out just fine as the Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 30-23 win over the Seahawks, dampening Seattle's odds in the process.

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Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws a pass during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals, Dec. 3, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

However, when Pickett was ruled inactive, a report swirled online that Pickett had actually "refused" to be the backup to Rudolph, thus leading to him being inactive.

Pickett caught wind of that report and squashed it immediately.

"I saw reports out there that I felt like were attacking my character and how I am as a person, not even getting into the player standpoint of it," Pickett told reporters Monday morning. 

Pickett then gave reporters a look behind the curtain that went into the quarterback decision for this past weekend.

"There was no talk of me being a backup quarterback this week in terms of being a two," Pickett said. "If I was healthy enough to play and the trainers and coaches felt like I would look good enough to play, I was going to start and play. If they believed I was not, which they believed I was not, I was not going to dress and suit up for the game."

Pickett then took a shot at Mark Madden, the radio host who made that initial report.

When Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was ruled inactive,