The Bengals retained Joe Mixon this offseason, despite a run of uncertainty regarding his status with the team. The seventh-year running back also received some good news on the legal front Thursday.
A judge found Mixon not guilty on the misdemeanor aggravated menacing charge that stemmed from a January road rage incident, WKRC12’s Christian Houser tweets. Mixon, 27, had pleaded not guilty to the charge in April. This led to a four-day trial that wrapped Thursday.
The Bengals running back was accused of pointed a gun at a woman during a traffic encounter, which occurred before the team was to gather at Paycor Stadium ahead of its departure for a divisional-round game in Buffalo. While police initially dropped the charge in February, it was refiled upon further review. A conviction could have resulted in 180 days in jail, but Thursday morning’s decision will close this chapter for the veteran back.
Mixon, of course, entered the NFL with ugly baggage. A video of him punching a woman in the face led to a season-long suspension at Oklahoma, and the Bengals faced criticism for drafting him in the 2017 second round. Mixon was not suspended for that incident, since it occurred before he entered the league, and has not been suspended since he was drafted. While the NFL’s personal conduct policy does not mandate a conviction for a suspension, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets Mixon should not be expected to face a league penalty in connection with the January incident.
After Samaje Perine turned down a Bengals offer to sign with the Broncos, the defending AFC North champions still circled back to a Mixon pay cut. Months of rumors on that front led to Mixon accepting a steep reduction. Formerly tied to a $12MM-per-year contract, Mixon agreed to new terms that reduced his through-2024 deal to a two-year, $11.5MM pact.
There’s no fixing today’s NFL until Roger exits as commissioner.
A disproportionate number of players like Mixon are above the law and they receive special treatment allowing criminal conduct to fester in this league. If not for an expensive lawyer do you think these guys would not all be in prison?
Yesterday in Charlotte yet another shinning example of a player left his car running unattended. Naturally his high-end vehicle and his handgun were stolen leading police there to hunt for an armed thug. Naturally this NFL idiot didnt consider how much danger he put the officers in. He will likely get any charges dropped because he’s a name!
These idiots work and earn the privilege to play in the NFL as few ever get, get a payday but they are still just idiots!
I’m certainly no supporter of Goodell’s but I think anyone who expects discipline policies to change after he leaves is delusional. We can rant that only players who behave like good altar boys should be permitted into the league but the real world is not a rose colored garden or a place like Mayberry where you can leave doors unlocked because Sheriff Andy Taylor will keep you safe.
Good, this was a bogus charge to begin with.
The college incident honestly didn’t worry me, as that “victim” struck Mixon first-twice-before Mixon leveled her. The video is floating around various sources.
That menacing charge, though, is quite concerning. I do not know the circumstances that led up to the encounter, of course, but that is not laudable behavior for anyone. It sounds as if a witness or victim was not available if the charge was dropped originally (you’d be surprised how very, very few times victims want to cooperate with investigation/prosecution), but I don’t know. In any case, the number of incidents surrounding Mixon are at the very least uncomfortable.
He had that other shooting related debacle as well, which I believe turned out to be a relative or friend of his on his property firing at a kid on a four wheeler of some such thing. I get defending your property against a constant intruder, as they claimed it was, but that’s certainly not how that should be handled and would be a rather harsh overreaction-just as this was.
It’s incredible that guys like Mixon and Tyreek Hill can seem like such leaders on the field and yet do such irresponsible things off it. I don’t know the whole story of this incident, but the number of these types of things surrounding Mixon does not bode well for the future. Will he be able to clean it up? For some guys, as much trouble as they get into in the league, ironically get worse after the NFL when there isn’t anything holding them back. Now, I’m not saying that Mixon is one, as I don’t know him, but I hope that he can find a way to stay in the right in the future, for his own sake if nothing else.
Aldon Smith was one of those guys that was ok when he had an NFL career that he could focus on but was always getting arrested without that anchor.
The 1% do it again!!! Okay I’ll go point a gun at someone when I drive home today, I’m sure I’ll get off completely free too!
As I said before society is a complete clown show at this point
I fail to see how AK185 or ghostrobot are responsible for making society into a clown show. Perhaps you should travel to Mars and enjoy the society there. Elon Musk is offering trips at reasonable rates.
I never said they were. They are just cowards who think it’s okay to hit women. What I was referring to was a post I made previously about the 1% always getting away with everything. Hence the part about me getting off free TOO
Reading comprehension is so hard for some of you. Read a book dummies
I’m certain you can recommend several good books on Anger Management…lol.
Can’t say I can. Sorry you’re okay with men who support beating up women
Lovely posts, guys. That’s 10 minutes I’ll never get back.