Houston running back Joe Mixon was reissued a $25,000 fine by the NFL on Wednesday, in this instance for his actual comments about the officiating in the divisional round matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Texans.
Mixon was originally fined for something he didn't say about the officiating, according to him and his agent. In a postgame interview, Mixon was asked about the officials after the Texans' defense was flagged for two separate penalties for contacting Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Both penalties extended Kansas City drives, leading to a crucial 10 points for the Chiefs in their 23-14 win.
"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. When it comes down to it, you can never leave it into the refs' hands. It's all good, though."
Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh posted in agreement with Mixon, writing: "Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with the Chiefs. These officials are [trash] & bias."
Sports Illustrated originally attributed Houshmandzadeh's quote to Mixon in a story. The NFL then cited the "50/50" quote in levying the fine to the running back, according to Mixon and his agent, Peter Schaffer. SI has since corrected its error.
Schaffer told ESPN that they will appeal the fine.
"We will defend Joe and have appealed the fine and will explore all other legal avenues to rectify this situation," Schaffer said. "This has to stop."
But now the reasoning for the fine has changed to Mixon's actual wording following the loss. He reacted on X and called it a "cold world."
"So let me get this straight NFL fines me 25k for something I didn't even say," Mixon said. "Call them out for it, and their 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."
