Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon claimed Wednesday that he was fined by the NFL for something he did not say.
Mixon posted on X that he was “fined by the (NFL) for what someone else said” following Houston’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional round Saturday. The running back added that he received a max fine for comments he supposedly made about the officiating in the loss.
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
& really tried to fine me 4 the max that’s mind blowing… smh
— ⚡️Primetime!!!⚡️ (@Joe_MainMixon) January 22, 2025
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the league fined Mixon for calling officials “trash” and claiming that “every 50/50 call goes with (the) Chiefs.” The problem is that Mixon did not say that. It was posted by ex-Bengals receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh on X during the game, and quoted in an SI story about Mixon’s own comments.
Mixon’s actual quote was much more benign.
“Everybody know how it is playing up here. You can never leave it into the refs’ hands. The whole world see, man,” Mixon told reporters.
That quote, according to Florio, was not cited in Mixon’s fine letter. While the NFL would not necessarily love that comment, it is unlikely they would hand down a big fine for it.
Controversial NFL fines are nothing new, but fining a player for something someone else said would probably be a first. Mixon, naturally, plans to appeal, and this is not the first beef he has had with the league office this year.
