Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon announced via X on Wednesday that the NFL fined him for comments he didn’t make following the playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. And the result has been a public back-and-forth with the league.
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“I’m getting fined by the @nfl for what someone else said. What’s next? I get fined by them for Connor McDavid cross checking an opponent on a @nhl game! 🤦🏽♂️”
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KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 21: Joe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans looks on from the field during an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 21, 2024 in Kansas
According to NBC Sports, the Houston Texans running back was fined $25,000 for negative commentary about the officials refereeing Saturday’s contest in which the Chiefs won 23-14. “Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with Chiefs. These officials are trash and bias,” Mixon was alleged to have said, according to the NFL’s initial fine.
But Mixon didn’t actually say that. Instead, the quote came from former Bengals wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh, who posted his complaint on X during the game on Saturday. That comment was incorrectly attributed to Mixon in a Sports Illustrated piece, and seemingly led to his ensuing fine.
Since Mixon took to Twitter to point out the league’s error, the NFL has responded, re-issuing the fine with different post-game comments made by Mixon about Saturday’s officiating included in its letter. The previous letter sent by the league quoted Houshmandzadeh. The league’s new fine cites the following Mixon remarks:
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“Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it into the refs’ hands,” Mixon. “The whole world sees, man, what it is. When it comes down to it, you can never leave it into the refs’ hands. It’s all good, though.”
According to the NFL, Mixon’s above statement violates a league rule prohibiting public criticism of officiating which “calls into question the integrity of, and public confidence in, our game.”
Mixon’s agent, Peter Schaffer, initially told ESPN he plans to appeal the fine.
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“We will defend [Mixon] and have appealed the fine and will explore all other legal avenues to rectify this situation,” Schaffer told ESPN. “This has to stop.”
The Texans running back’s first reaction to the NFL’s initial fine showcased a sense of humor about the incident, referencing Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid’s three-game ban for cross-checking to the head of Vancouver Canucks’s forward Conor Garland. The Bay-area native must be somewhat of a hockey fan. But now it just looks like the NFL is picking a fight, pouring salt on the burn of the loss to the Chiefs.
“So let me get this straight NFL fines me 25k for something I didn’t even say. Call them out for it, and they response was fine me AGAIN for something that’s not even a violation without even rescinding the first one. Where’s the accountability? Just respect the players. Cold [world].”
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This story has been updated to reflect the re-issuing of Joe Mixon’s fine.
