The NFL has taken a mulligan.
After issuing a $25,000 fine to Texans running back Joe Mixon for something he didn’t say about the officiating in Saturday’s playoff game against the Chiefs, the NFL has re-issued the fine with his actual words in its place.
The new fine disciplines Mixon for saying this: “Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it in the refs’ hands. The whole world see, man.”
That quote wasn’t mentioned in the initial fine letter, which relied on words not from Mixon but from former Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The line from Houshmandzadeh was this: “Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with Chiefs. These officials are trash and bias.”
The relevant rule prohibits any public criticism of officiating “because it calls into question the integrity of, and public confidence in, our game.”
And, of course, by imposing fines on players and coaches, the NFL shines a brighter light on the issue — that there were calls in the game worthy of criticism. Like the criticism expressed by ESPN’s Troy Aikman during a broadcast watched by more than 30 million people, after a late slide from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes drew a foul for unnecessary roughness.
“Come on,” Aikman said. “He’s a runner, and I could not disagree with that one more. He barely gets hit. That’s the second penalty now that’s been called against the Texans.”
The NFL can’t fine Aikman (since he doesn’t own part of a team). But they can, and likely have, complained to Aikman’s bosses about it.
Aikman’s words have now been superseded by the Keystone Cops effort to take money out of Mixon’s pocket, first by fining him for something he didn’t say and now by fining him for the less controversial comment he actually made.
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