Bengals running back Joe Mixon is heading into the 2023 season on a sour note despite relieving news of his menacing case verdict.
Less than a week after Bengals’ Joe Mixon was cleared of aggravated menacing charges, the running back has landed back in the national spotlight again.
In Mixon’s first practice back on Sunday, he declined to speak to specific reporters, announcing that he would be boycotting questions from four reporters who represent major sports outlets. According to Pro Football Talk, these four are ESPN’s Ben Baby, Sports Illustrated’s James Rapien, the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, and Pro Football Network’s Jay Morrison.
Mixon’s reasoning is that those reporters have displayed “disrespectful behavior” in the past.
It could not be a more chaotic start to the 2023 season for Mixon, whose beef seems to be with ESPN’s Ben Baby in particular.
Here’s a snippet from Baby’s article on the Joe Mixon drama:
"When asked to elaborate on how things have been disrespectful, Mixon responded by saying “you know how” as he retreated into the team’s training room. He returned to one of the team’s pingpong tables a few minutes later."
Mixon’s agent, Peter Schaffer, responded to Baby with a lengthier elaboration:
You know exactly why we don’t talk to you. You consistently look for the negative and always are putting the players down.
— Peter Schaffer (@peterjschaffer) August 20, 2023
We have given you ample chances to correct the situation and you refuse. You made your bed now sleep in it. Don’t tweet to people that you don’t know why.
Joe Mixon shuns four Bengals beat reporters after menacing case verdict
Last Thursday, Mixon was found not guilty of aggravated menacing, which is an offense described as causing someone to believe you would inflict harm to them, their property, unborn child, or immediate family.
The alleged incident leading to Mixon’s menacing charge took place on January 21, the day before the Bengals played the Bills in the AFC divisional round. In downtown Cincinnati, Mixon was accused of pulling a gun on a woman and threatening to shoot her in the face.
Hamilton County Judge Gwen Bender ultimately ruled Mixon not guilty, and Mixon appears to have escaped unscathed with his reputation intact.
Once speculated to be a Bengals cap casualty, Mixon renegotiated his contract with Cincy this offseason to reduce his cap hit to $8.5 million in 2023.
It should be noted that per the NFL’s media rules, players are required to make themselves available to reporters after each regular season game and one during every week of the season. Mixon has shown willingness to cooperate with other reporters, just not the four he mentioned.
In 2023, he’ll enter his seventh year with the Bengals hoping to build off of last season’s success and write his narrative on his terms in his own way.