NFL cancels Texans running back’s fine Joe Mixon after a quote was misattributed

Following the NFL’s retraction of a $25,000 fine on Tuesday for something Mixon did not say, Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon is now free.

Despite Mixon’s public criticism of the referees following his team’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional round, hearing officer Chris Palmer wrote that he came to the conclusion “that (Mixon) did not necessarily publicly criticize the officials.”

A play in which two Houston defenders collided while attempting to stop a sliding Patrick Mahomes resulted in an incorrect call for a late hit, which put the referees under intense scrutiny during the Chiefs’ 23–14 victory over the Texans.

Mixon told reporters following the game, “You can never leave it into the hands of the referees.” “Man, everyone can see what it is. If it comes down to it, you can’t let the referees handle it. All is well, though.

In order to avoid the game being decided by a few officials’ calls, Mixon seemed to be saying that the Texans need to have done more.

But it wasn’t the original reason Mixon was in trouble.

A former wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, posted on X, “Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with the Chiefs,” accusing the refs of being prejudiced and trash.

Mixon and his representative claim that the NFL fined him because a Sports Illustrated piece misattributed the comments to them.

The NFL then reiterated the fine, focusing on Mixon’s real, mild remarks.

“So, let me clarify something. For something I didn’t even say, the NFL fined me $25,000. “When I called them out on it, they responded by fining me again for something that wasn’t even a violation and not even rescinding the first one,” Mixon wrote on X on January 22. “What about accountability? Simply show the players some respect.

Palmer gave Mixon that “respect” at the conclusion of his journey.

“You explained what you meant by your remarks about the officials during the appeal hearing,” Palmer said in his letter. “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 towards officials can be, given how impactful your platform is as a player, which I appreciate.”

In the weeks preceding Super Bowl LIX, in which the two-time defending champion Chiefs lost 40–22 to the Philadelphia Eagles, the quality of NFL officiating was closely examined.

The NFL Referees Association chastised supporters for what they called conspiracy theories in a statement, condemning it as “insulting” that some fans thought officials were assisting Mahomes and the Chiefs with their decisions.