NFL fines Joe Mixon for comments he didn’t make about referees, then fines him again for ones he did make

The NFL has fined the Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon Because of comments he never made about the referees during the team’s controversial loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Saturday.

After Mixon and his agent appealed the fine and publicly pointed out that Mixon did not make the comments, the NFL reissued the fine with the comments he did make.

The original fine alleged that Mixon said: “Why play the game if every call is 50/50 With the presidentQ. “These officials are rubbish and biased.”

This statement did not come from Mixon. Written by former NFL receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh in a social media post.

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Mixon then went on a social media tirade in which he denied that he made the statement and expressed his anger at the fine imposed by the league.

NFL He later reissued the fine with his actual words in its place, which read, “Everyone knows how it goes around here. You can never leave it in the refs’ hands. The whole world can see, man,” according to NBC Sports.

League rules prohibit public criticism of refereeing “because it calls into question the integrity of our game and the public’s confidence in it.”

The officials were widely criticized by Texans players and head coach DeMeco Ryans, as well as many media pundits and fans on social media over two questionable passer penalties that were called against the Texans for hits on Patrick Mahomes last Saturday.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, #15, is injured during an NFL playoff game against the Houston Texans at JHA at Arrowhead Stadium on January 18, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

The first penalty came when Houston’s Will Anderson Jr. was called for roughing the passer on third down in the first quarter. Anderson appeared to shove Mahomes in the chest after he threw an incomplete pass to tight end Travis Kelce. Anderson is tagged.

The second penalty came during a Mahomes scramble in the third quarter. He had two blockers on the run and three defenders pressuring him. He moved to his right and then back to his left when he decided to slide.

Referee Clay Martin explained the calls to a pool reporter after the game, saying one of the controversial calls was the result of “forced contact in the face mask area,” which warranted a flag. He said there was forced contact with Mahomes’ “hairline” in another unnecessary roughness call.

Mahomes himself defended referees for their calls when reporters asked him Wednesday if he thought referees were giving him preferential treatment.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, No. 15, faces Aziz El-Shaer, No. 0 of the Houston Texans, during the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game at JHA at Arrowhead Stadium on January 18, 2025 in Kansas City. Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

“I don’t feel that way,” Mahomes replied. “At the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and fair as possible. And all you can do is go out and play the game you love as hard as you can and live with the results. … I think that’s what we preach.” It’s here in Kansas City.

“You get new referees every year, you get new circumstances, and you never know because every game is different. That’s what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I just kept playing the game, just trying to win and whatever happens happens.”

Meanwhile, Kelce declined to talk about the issue when asked by his brother, Jason Kelce, during their New Heights podcast on Wednesday.

“I would beg the fifth,” the tight end said, jokingly referring to his constitutional right to remain silent.

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