Even though the Cincinnati Bengals aren’t playing in the Super Bowl, they’ve found a way to get into headlines anyways. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for anything good. Star running back Joe Mixon had an arrest warrant issued for him over aggravated menacing. Not exactly the news you are looking for after getting heartbroken in the AFC Championship game.
A resident sent in a formal complaint against Mixon. It said that he pointed a run right at their face before saying, “You should be popped in the face, I should shoot you. The police can’t get me.” The complaint had the incident happening on January 21st. Which is interesting considering that this was the day before Cincinnati took on the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. A game that Mixon played in and helped them win.
Charges Did Get Dropped On Joe Mixon
Right after news broke regarding this issue, Mixon’s agent came out and said that the charges are going to be dropped as soon as possible. His full quote was, “I really feel that police have an obligation before they file charges, because of the damage that can be done to the person’s reputation, to do their work.” And apparently, his agent was correct. Two days after the initial story came out, Mixon saw the charges get dropped.
The city prosecutor’s office requested that Mixon’s charge be dropped according to a court document. However, that doesn’t mean Mixon is completely out of the woods yet. As a charge could still come back around on him. The judge who was working on the case said that they have to be another investigation into the incident. This would be so that they can determine if they should reintroduce the charges on Mixon. This might take a while. And even if he is innocent of these accusations, this investigation could be a cloud over Mixon during the offseason as the Bengals get ready for next year.
Bengals Have Kept A Close Eye On It
The franchise has also been closely monitoring the situation to determine what their best course of action can be. They released a statement of their own that said, “The club is aware misdemeanor charges have been raised against Joe Mixon. The club is investigation the situation and will not comment further at this time.” This isn’t entirely a surprising response. As most organizations say something similar when a player gets into trouble. Still though, the franchise is paying close attention to where these charges go if they are reintroduced.
If a further investigation does prove him guilty, Mixon could face punishment. This could come from either the Bengals franchise or the NFL themselves. It wouldn’t be the first time that a player can get themselves suspended for a few games by either of those sides. It also wouldn’t be the first time that Mixon would be guilty of a charge. He had to complete a year or probation and 100 hours of community service before. On top of behavioral counseling after he was caught on video knocking out a female student with a punch during a confrontation back in 2014.