The NFL recently rescinded a fine levied against Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon, initially imposed due to comments mistakenly attributed to him. The league had fined Mixon for remarks criticizing game officials following the Texans' playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, these comments originated from a social media post by former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, not Mixon.

Following Mixon's appeal and public clarification, the NFL reissued the fine, citing different comments he actually made. While expressing frustration with officiating, Mixon's actual words, according to NBC Sports, were: "Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it in the refs’ hands. The whole world see, man." This statement, while less direct than the initially cited comments, still violated league rules prohibiting public criticism of officiating.

The controversy surrounding the officiating in the Texans-Chiefs game stemmed from two questionable roughing the passer calls against the Texans. Head referee Clay Martin later explained one call was for "forcible contact to the face mask area," and the other for contact to Mahomes’ "hairline." Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes defended the referees, stating he didn't believe he received preferential treatment and emphasizing that officials strive for fairness. Tight end Travis Kelce declined to comment on the matter.