Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. faced a $25,000 fine after alleging bias against referees during a game. The NFL penalized Anderson for his remark, “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game.” Meanwhile, Cincinnati Bengals’ running back Joe Mixon successfully appealed a similar fine levied against him after a divisional round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The NFL initially fined Mixon based on comments wrongly attributed to him. According to Mixon and his agent, Peter Schaffer, the NFL used a "50/50" quote in justifying the fine. However, Sports Illustrated later corrected its error, clarifying that T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a former Bengals wide receiver, made the statement. Houshmandzadeh expressed frustration over officiating via social media, saying, "Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with the Chiefs." His remarks referenced two penalties that favored the Chiefs, contributing to their 23-14 victory by extending Kansas City drives and enabling them to score 10 critical points.
Joe Mixon openly criticized the NFL's handling of his fine on January 22nd. He stated, "You can never leave it into the refs' hands," following the game. Despite this, appeals officer Chris Palmer noted in a letter to Mixon that he "did not necessarily publicly criticize the officials."
The Athletic reported Anderson's successful appeal, while Mixon's case gained attention when it emerged the NFL had mistakenly attributed Houshmandzadeh's words to him. This error led to a reevaluation and eventual overturning of Mixon's fine by an appeals officer.
Anderson's original fine stemmed from his comments during a contentious game where Texans' defense incurred penalties for contacting Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. These incidents added fuel to the ongoing debate over officiating consistency in the league.
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