The Kansas City Chiefs' chance to three-peat as Super Bowl Champions was thwarted by the Philadelphia Eagles ten days ago. However, every year, come playoff time, Kansas City seems to be in the middle of a referee conspiracy theory.
This season was no different, as both fans and players shared their discontent after the Chiefs beat the Houston Texans in the divisional round. Following their loss, both Joe Mixon and Will Anderson shared comments that insinuated the referees and the Chiefs were in cahoots. As a result, the NFL fined both Mixon and Anderson $25,000.
Nonetheless, Mixon and Anderson appealed their fines, as they believed they didn't directly criticize the officials. According to ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime, both players won their appeals.
Texans running back Joe Mixon has won his appeal of a $25K fine he received for a comment he made about officiating after Houston lost to the Chiefs in the playoffs. https://t.co/dyW5OfGf4e
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 18, 2025
Joe Mixon and Will Anderson No Longer Face Punishment for Criticizing Officials After the Divisional Round
"As you know, statements can be interpreted differently by every individual and it seems like you clearly understand the weight and detriment of public criticism towards officials can be, given how impactful your platform is as a player, which I appreciate."Chris Palmer- Appeals officer
Palmer's explanation for why the fines were rescinded doesn't quite make sense. Sure, as he stated, everyone interrupts words differently. That said, clearly, Palmer and the NFL thought these comments were hurtful to the brand to begin with.
So, even with Anderson and Mixon's explanations of what their comments meant, their first interpretation was negative. That's not to say that people can't change their minds. But, in this scenario, repealing the fines makes it look like players and coaches criticize the referees as long as they don't blatantly say the word referee or official.
Although that definitely wasn't the message the NFL was trying to send to fans, that's how it could be read, especially by Chiefs fans. Going forward, the NFL should stand pat on their original decisions on matters like this.