The NFL fines Joe Meek for his comments about the referees, then fines them again
The NFL fined Houston Texans running back Joe Meek for comments he made about referees during the team’s controversial playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Saturday.
After Mixon and his agent appealed the fine and Mixon publicly stated that he did not make those comments, the NFL reissued the fine in his opinion.
The main punishment, Mixon said, “if every 50/50 call goes with the officials, why play the game. These officials are dirty and biased.”
That statement didn’t come to Mick. Former NFL wide receiver TJ Houshmanzadeh wrote in a social media post.
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Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon, #28, and quarterback CJ Stroud, #7, celebrate Mixon’s touchdown run against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)
Mixon denied making the statement and took to social media to express his anger at the league’s punishment.
According to NBC, the NFL later reissued the punishment, saying, “Everybody knows how to play here. They can never leave it in the hands of the refs. The world is watching.” Sport.
League rules prohibit criticism of a referee “because it calls into question the integrity of our game and public trust.”
The officials were widely criticized by Texans players and head coach DiMeco Ryans, as well as many media commentators and fans on social media last Saturday for the two questionable shooting penalties on Patrick Mahomes.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, #15, is hit during the NFL football AFC divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
The first penalty came when Houston edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was called for picking off a passer on third down in the first quarter. Anderson was seen shoving Mahomes in the chest after he threw an incomplete pass to Travis Kelce. Anderson is tagged.
The second penalty came during a tackle by Mahomes in the third quarter. Two defenses and three defenders fall on him on the run. When he decided to slide, he turned to the right and then to the left.
Referee Clay Martin, explaining the call to a pool reporter after the game, said one of the calls was controversial “forcible contact in the face mask area,” which warranted a flag. In another call of unnecessary cruelty, he said there was forced contact with Mahomes’ “hairline.”
Mahomes defended the umpires for the call when asked questions from reporters on Wednesday that he believed the umpires would prioritize it.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, #15, is tackled by Azeez Al-Shaair, #0 of the Houston Texans during the first quarter of an AFC division game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 18, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. Missouri (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“I don’t feel that way,” Mahomes replied. “At the end of the day, the umpires are going to do everything they can to make the game as fair and as fair as possible. And all you can do is go out there and play the game you love the best you can and live with the results. … I think that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.”
“Every year you get new referees, you get new situations, and you never know because every game is different. And that’s what makes the NFL special. I feel like I’m still playing the game, and I’m just going to try. To win.”
Meanwhile, when his brother Jason Kells asked him about it on his “New Heights” podcast on Wednesday, Kells declined to talk about it.
“I’d like to plead the fifth,” the tight end said, jokingly citing his constitutional right to remain silent.
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