NFL Rescinds Joe Mixon's $25K Fine After Misattributed Quote and Appeal

The league admitted its error, overturning fines for the Texans RB and teammate Will Anderson after reviewing evidence and player statements.

Joe Mixon was fined $25,000 by the NFL for alleged public criticism of officiating following the Texans' playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the fine was based on a misattributed quote from another player.
The NFL initially attributed a social media post by former Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh to Mixon, which criticized referees as biased and trash, leading to the fine.
After realizing its mistake, the league reissued the fine for Mixon's actual postgame comments, which were deemed less critical and within league guidelines upon appeal.
Hearing officer Chris Palmer reviewed the evidence and ruled that Mixon did not necessarily criticize officials, rescinding the fine and emphasizing the importance of players avoiding public criticism of referees.
Texans defensive end Will Anderson also had his $25,000 fine overturned after appealing a penalty related to his comments about officiating in the same game.