The NFL has fined Texans RB Joe Mixon $25,000 for criticizing the officiating following Houston’s playoff loss to the Chiefs, per ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime.
Pro Football Talk reports the NFL initially cited a quote that was incorrectly attributed to Mixon. The letter has since been revised to include Mixon’s actual comments, which the NFL is maintaining rose to the level of a finable offense.
“Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it into the refs’ hands,” Mixon said after the game this weekend, via ESPN. “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.”
The NFL prohibits players, coaches and officials from criticizing the officials under penalty of a fine.
“We will defend Joe and have appealed the fine and will explore all other legal avenues to rectify this situation,” Mixon’s agent Peter Schaffer said. “This has to stop.”
Mixon, 28, is a former second-round pick of the Bengals back in 2017. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $5.45-million rookie contract when Cincinnati re-signed him to a four-year, $48 million extension heading into the 2019 season.
The Bengals traded Mixon to the Texans in 2024 for a seventh-round pick. He then signed a three-year extension with Houston worth $27 million with $14 million guaranteed.
In 2024, Mixon appeared in 14 games for the Texans and rushed 245 times for 1,016 yards (4.1 YPC) and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 36 passes on 52 targets for 309 yards and another touchdown.
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