Joe Mixon will find himself $25,000 short in the coming days.
The league levied a hefty fine against the Houston Texans running back after the Kansas City Chiefs ousted Mixon’s squad from the postseason.
J.J. Watt Comes to Joe Mixon’s Aid Over Hefty NFL Fine
Mixon was penalized—not for his own words but for comments posted by someone else.
Naturally, this sparked outrage, with Mixon and Texans legend J.J. Watt taking to social media to voice their frustrations.
Mixon posted on X, “I’m getting fined by the NFL for what someone else said. What’s next? I get fined for Connor McDavid cross-checking an opponent in an NHL game?”
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! 🤦🏽♂️
— ⚡️Primetime!!!⚡️ (@Joe_MainMixon) January 22, 2025
His witty yet pointed remark quickly gained traction, with fans lashing out at the NFL’s decision. He later added, “& really tried to fine me (for) the max that’s mind-blowing… smh.”
& really tried to fine me 4 the max that’s mind blowing… smh
— ⚡️Primetime!!!⚡️ (@Joe_MainMixon) January 22, 2025
Former Texans defensive end J.J. Watt amplified Mixon’s grievance, tweeting, “He got fined for something he didn’t say. Publicly complained about it (correctly). Then got fined for that. What are we doing here?”
This has not received enough attention…
He got fined for something he didn’t say.
Publicly complained about it (correctly).
Then got fined for that.
What are we doing here? https://t.co/JcPssBjocx
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 24, 2025
The whole scenario started with a quote critical of officiating that was falsely attributed to Mixon. The words, “Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with the Chiefs? These officials are trash and bias,” were posted by retired wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh during the game but mistakenly linked to Mixon in a league memo.
The NFL later reissued the fine using Mixon’s actual postgame comments, which were far less inflammatory: “Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it in the refs’ hands. The whole world see, man.”
Joe Mixon says he was fined for saying, "Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with Chiefs. These officials are trash and bias."
I stood next to Joe Mixon for the entirety of his 7:16 postgame availability. Mixon does NOT say the above quote.
In the interest of truth and… pic.twitter.com/PzG7njQO6v
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) January 22, 2025
Even ESPN’s Troy Aikman criticized a penalty during the Kansas City vs. Houston game, saying, “Come on, he’s a runner, and I could not disagree with that one more.” However, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes defended the referees, saying it’s not always that simple.
“I don’t feel that way. I just try to play football at the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they possibly can. And all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results.”
The whole refereeing debacle and the NFL’s handling of fines have raised more questions about its officiating standards.