Merril Hoge is one of those guys who doesn’t mince words. He didn’t as a player in the NFL, as a commentator on ESPN, and even now as a scout for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, in case you didn’t know, Hoge was a part of the Steelers’ scouting department, the key word being “was”. While most assumed Hoge was still employed by the team, it turns out he isn’t at the moment.

Steelers Director of Public Relations, Burt Lauten, took to Twitter to state Hoge isn’t a member of the scouting department anymore.

He is not a team scout for us now.

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) November 8, 2023

Hoge’s comments did raise some questions when Hoge speaks out about the team, but according to Lauten he hasn’t been with the organization since the conclusion of training camp.

With that in mind, when Hoge joined the WDVE Morning Show Wednesday, and was asked about George Pickens, he didn’t bite his tongue.

Did Hoge toe the company line? Absolutely not. Instead, he went no-holds-barred on the second year receiver out of Georgia.

“He’s very immature. I think people know that.” Hoge said. “You’re going to have to establish some way for him to establish ownership. And you’ve got to challenge him on that. You can’t just say, ‘He is a young kid,’ and make these excuses for him, because he’s making excuses.

“You point fingers and cast blame, but not one time did you look in the mirror. We’re not going anywhere; we’re not gonna build championships with people like you and attitudes like that. We just won’t. So you wanna change that? Change that. If not, then we’re gonna have a problem going down the road into the future if you don’t start seeing things differently.”

Hoge is entitled to his opinion, and he doesn’t have a problem voicing his opinion when asked a question. However, as former employee of the Steelers, you have to wonder if his opinion might not be received well by the organization.

To be clear, I have no problem with what Hoge said. It’s what almost everyone who follows the Steelers closely believes; however, him being a close part of the organization makes things dicey. What do you think of the situation? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Green Bay Packers in Week 10 at Acrisure Stadium.