The Houston Texans' Joe Mixon and his attorney said the running back was fined $25,000 for comments he didn't actually make.
The Texans' star tailback was asked about the referees after Houston's defense was penalized twice for making contact with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs generated 10 points after the penalties helped extend drives, and they ultimately advanced to the AFC Championship Game with a 23-14 win.
"Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it into the refs' hands," Mixon said, according to ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime. "The whole world sees, man, what it is. When it comes down to it, you can never leave it into the refs' hands."
Former NFL receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh echoed Mixon's sentiments.
Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with Chiefs. These officials are 🗑🗑🗑🗑 & bias
— T.J. Houshmandzadeh (@housh84) January 18, 2025
Sports Illustrated originally attributed Houshmandzadeh's social media post to Mixon in a story, according to Bien-Aime, who adds the league then cited Houshmandzadeh's quote in the summary of the fine.
Mixon and his attorney both say the league misattributed Houshmandzadeh's post to the Texans halfback. Mixon's postgame quote was not mentioned in the fine letter from the league, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
"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!" Mixon posted on X Wednesday.
Mixon's attorney, Peter Schaffer, told ESPN, "We will defend Joe and have appealed the fine and will explore all other legal avenues to rectify this situation. This has to stop."
