The NFL appears to take criticism of referees very seriously, and can even lead to fines for criticizing things you didn't actually say.
Texans running back Joe Mixon learned that lesson when he was fined $25,000 by the NFL for comments he made about officiating during Saturday's 23-14 loss to the Chiefs. I learned this from painful experience.
The incendiary comment actually came from former Bengals star TJ Houshmandzadeh, and the NFL fined him again for Mixon's actual comment referring to zebras.
Oh, and he also said the NFL didn't rescind the original fine.
“So, let me be clear, the NFL fined me 25,000 for something I didn't say. When I called them asking for it, they refused to even rescind the first violation. Again fined for something that was not a violation. Where is the blame? Just respect the players,” Mixon posted. “It's cold🌎”
The officiating for Saturday's first-round game received low marks, with many fans and even ESPN analyst Troy Aikman questioning some questionable calls that favored the Chiefs.
Several Texans players reportedly referred to referees in their postgame comments, and the NFL is cracking down on this in the form of fines.
And that's where the story begins.
Houshmandzadeh attacked the referees with his X post, setting off a chain of events. These officials are 🗑🗑🗑🗑 and biased. ”
Sports Illustrated Article mistakenly attributed the quote to Mixon; According to ESPNthe NFL mentioned in a letter explaining the fine to Mixon, via Pro Football Talk.
Mixon commented on refereeing, but did not use those words.
“We all know how things are going here,” Mixon said. “You can never leave it in the hands of the umpires. The whole world should see, hey, what it is, brother. That's the reality. At the end of the day, you can never leave it in the hands of the umpires or whatever. But it’s all good.”
Mr Mixon expressed complete shock at the fine imposed on X on Wednesday afternoon.
“I got fined by the @nfl for what I said about others. What's next? Connor McDavid gets fined by them for cross-checking his opponent in an @nhl game. 🤦🏽♂️,” he said in the first of two tweets on the topic. “And they really tried to give me the maximum fine of four, which is surprising… hmmm.”
Mixon's agent, Peter Schaefer, told Pro Football Talk that he will “defend and appeal” the fine and will “consider all other legal avenues to rectify this situation.” Ta.
The NFL acknowledged their mistake, reissued the fine, and cited the referee-centered statements he actually made. via Pro Football Talk.
The incident won't help quell the NFL's debate over officiating for Sunday's AFC Championship game in Kansas City, when the Chiefs host the Bills.
The Chiefs are a small home favorite, and not only will Josh Allen have to beat Patrick Mahomes, but there will definitely be a lot of talk about officiating.
