ORLANDO, FLORIDA - JANUARY 31: Joe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans and AFC poses for a portrait during the NFL Pro Bowl on January 31, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
NFL rescinds Texans RB Joe Mixon’s fine for criticizing officials following Chiefs playoff win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon has won an appeal over a fine he received following an AFC Divisional loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mixon, who scored a touchdown in the 23-14 loss for the Texans on Jan. 18, got the $25,000 fine rescinded by the NFL following an appeals hearing on Jan. 30.
According to a report from ESPN, NFL appeals officer Chris Palmer explained in a letter to Mixon that the appeals process found Mixon “did not necessarily publicly criticize the officials.”
“During the appeal hearing, you stated what you meant by your statements referring to the officials,” Palmer wrote to Mixon. “As you know, statements can be interpreted differently by every individual and it seems like you clearly understand the weight and detriment of public criticism toward officials can be, given how impactful your platform is as a player, which I appreciate.”
Mixon originally was given the $25,000 fine as a result of a Twitter post from former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who said “why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with the Chiefs. These officials are (trash) and bias.”
That quote was incorrectly attributed to Mixon in a story by Sports Illustrated, leading to the fine.
Mixon’s actual comments following the game that featured two personal foul penalties against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are as follows:
“Everybody knows how it is playing up here,” Mixon said. “You can never leave it into the refs’ hands. 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 ESPN, Mixon was originally fined for Housmandzadeh’s comments before the NFL reissued a fine to him for the comments he actually made. Mixon then voiced his complaints on Jan. 22 before holding an appeals hearing with the league.
“So let me get this straight, the NFL fines me 25k for something I didn’t even say,” Mixon wrote on X. “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.”
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