Joe Mixon and his agent are claiming the NFL fined the Houston Texans running back $25,000 for comments he did not make following the AFC divisional round defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.
In a game where calls made against the Texans for penalties on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes have been under scrutiny, Mixon gave his thoughts on the officiating afterward.
“Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it into the refs’ hands,” Mixon said. “The whole world sees, man, what it is. It is what it is. When it comes down to it, you can never leave it into the refs’ hands. It’s all good, though.”
Agreeing with Mixon was former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who posted on X, “Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with Chiefs. These officials are [trash] & bias.”
Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with Chiefs. These officials are đź—‘đź—‘đź—‘đź—‘ & bias
— T.J. Houshmandzadeh (@housh84) January 18, 2025
According to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime, a Sports Illustrated story originally attributed Houshmandzadeh’s comment to Mixon, which was cited in the $25,000 fine.
Mixon posted on Wednesday about the apparent mistake by the NFL saying, “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!”
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! 🤦🏽‍♂️
— ⚡️Primetime!!!⚡️ (@Joe_MainMixon) January 22, 2025
Mixon’s agent told ESPN that they will appeal the fine to “defend” Mixon and will “explore all other legal avenues to rectify this situation.”
Mixon was previously fined $11,255 following their wild-card round win over the Los Angeles Chargers for “unnecessary roughness.”
