Houston Texans star running back Joe Mixon picked up a hefty fine from the NFL for criticizing referees. The problem is, that he didn’t actually say the things he was fined for saying.
Mixon’s agent Peter Schaffer told ESPN that his client was fined $25,000 for a quote that was misattributed to him.
After Saturday’s game, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmanzadeh offered a scathing criticism of the referees in a post on social media.
“Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with the Chiefs. These officials are [trash] & bias,” Houshmanzadeh said in a post on X.
The problem is that Sports Illustrated originally attributed Houshmandzadeh’s quote to Mixon in a story after the game. The NFL then cited this “50/50” quote in its decision to fine Mixon $25,000.
Needless to say, Mixon was not at all happy about receiving a fine for a quote that he did not even say.
“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 wrote on X.
Mixon went on to suggest that the league fined him again for speaking out against the fine without even rescinding the original fine.
“So let me get this straight NFL fines me 25k for something I didn’t even say. Call them out for it, and they 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,” Mixon wrote in another post.
Mixon’s agent told ESPN that they are appealing the fine.
