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Texans RB Pokes Fun at Connor McDavid Suspension

NHL superstar Connor McDavid transcends sports yet again.

Jon Alfano

Jan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) scores a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth quarter in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Jan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) scores a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth quarter in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
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Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is the best and arguably the most-recognizable player in the NHL today, being one of the few to be widely-known across the general sports world and not just hockey. Even in one of his lowest moments, he's still finding ways to transcend the sport.

In the dying seconds of Sunday's loss to the Vancouver Canucks, McDavid cross-checked Conor Garland in the face, a retaliation to the Canucks forward holding him down on the ice. As a result, both players received matching three-game suspensions on Monday night.

There has been some controversy regarding the validity of McDavid's suspension, but it undoubtedly has people talking, even those in entirely different sports.

On Wednesday, the NFL fined Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon for criticism towards the referees in Saturday's Divisional Round to the Kansas City Chiefs. In the fine letter, the league claimed a social media post saying “Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with Chiefs. These officials are trash and bias,” was the reason for the fine.

Just one problem: Mixon didn't say that. That social media post instead came from former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who now works as an analyst for FS1. The confusion came from an article by Cincinnati Bengals On SI, which cited the quote as "he tweeted" after mentioning both of them back-to-back.

Mixon did indeed make some comments about the officiating in Saturday's game, in which the Chiefs received two first downs on questionable calls, but he actually said this:

"Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it into the refs' hands," Mixon said. "The whole world sees, man, what it is. When it comes down to it, you can never leave it into the refs' hands. It's all good, though."

In light of the fine, an understandably-frustrated Mixon took to social media to voice his own complaints, referencing the aforementioned McDavid suspension in the process.

"I'm getting fined by the @nfl for what someone else said," Mixon wrote. "What's next? I get fined by them for Connor McDavid cross-checking an opponent on a @nhl game!"

Mixon's agent, Peter Schaffer, told ESPN that they will appeal the fine.

"We will defend Joe and have appealed the fine and will explore all other legal avenues to rectify this situation," Schaffer said. "This has to stop."

It's undoubtedly a frustrating situation for Mixon, but frankly, it's quite humorous for sports fans.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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