Sports
NFL rescinds fine for Texans RB Joe Mixon after misattributed quote
Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) runs the ball as Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill (23) defends during the second half of a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon is in the clear after the NFL on Tuesday retracted a $25,000 fine for something Mixon didn’t say.
Mixon was dinged for public criticism of the officials after his team’s AFC divisional round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, yet hearing officer Chris Palmer explained in a letter that he concluded “that (Mixon) did not necessarily publicly criticize the officials.”
The referees were under the microscope during the Chiefs’ 23-14 win over the Texans, particularly for a play in which two Houston defenders collided into each other while trying to tackle a sliding Patrick Mahomes, leading to an errant call for a late hit.
“You can never leave it into the refs’ hands,” Mixon told reporters after the game. “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.”
Mixon appeared to mean that the Texans should have done more so that the result of the game didn’t come down to a few calls by officials. However, that’s not what got Mixon in trouble in the first place.
Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh wrote on X, “Why play the game if every 50/50 call goes with the Chiefs,” going on to call the referees trash and biased.
A Sports Illustrated article incorrectly attributed the quote to Mixon, which was the basis of the NFL’s fine, according to Mixon and his agent.
The NFL then re-issued the fine while centering Mixon’s actual, tamer comments.
“So let me get this straight NFL fines me 25k for something I didn’t even say. Call them out for it, and they response was fine me AGAIN for something that’s not even a violation without even rescinding the first one,” Mixon wrote on X on Jan. 22. “Where’s the accountability? Just respect the players.”
Mixon got that “respect” from Palmer at the end of his ordeal.
“During the appeal hearing, you stated what you meant by your statements referring to the officials,” Palmer wrote in his letter. “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.”
The state of NFL officiating was under intense scrutiny in the weeks leading up to Super Bowl LIX, where the two-time defending champion Chiefs fell 40-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The NFL Referees Association released a statement calling it “insulting” that some fans believed officials were helping Mahomes and the Chiefs with their calls, scolding fans for what they termed conspiracy theories.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees OF Cody Bellinger out 4-6 weeks with Grade 2 hamstring strain
Jul 25, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits an RBI single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images New York Yankees All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger was diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain and faces a recovery timeline of four to six weeks, manager Aaron Boone said Monday.
Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday after injuring himself rounding first base during a win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
His injury is the latest blow for a Yankees lineup that hasn’t featured Aaron Judge (rib) since the start of June or Giancarlo Stanton (calf) since April 24. Neither Judge nor Stanton have been cleared to resume baseball activities.
Bellinger, 31, was named the All-Star Game MVP earlier this month thanks to his two-run single in the first inning of the American League’s 4-0 victory.
The former NL MVP is in his second season in New York and played 102 of the Yankees’ first 104 games leading up to the injury. He has batted .259 with 11 homers, 53 RBIs and 55 walks this year.
In 1,259 career games for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017-22), Chicago Cubs (2023-24) and Yankees, Bellinger is a .260 hitter with 236 homers, 748 RBIs and 114 stolen bases.
The Yankees recalled Spencer Jones from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. However, they are starting utility player Max Schuemann in Bellinger’s usual spot in left field for the second day in a row as they begin a series Monday at the Chicago White Sox. Jones will start the game at center field.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Stanford players take first step toward collective bargaining unit
Sep 13, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal linebacker Ernest Cooper (44) during the third quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Founded five years ago as an advocacy group for athletes, the College Football Players Association announced on Monday that Stanford football players have formed the CFBPA’s first chapter led by active athletes — a first step toward what the group hopes will eventually become a collective bargaining unit.
Regarding who the athletes will negotiate with, CFBPA founder and executive director Jason Stahl points to the conferences.
“We are very optimistic that other chapters will be announced soon,” Stahl, a former faculty member at the University of Minnesota, told The Athletic.
After communicating with Stanford players for more than a year, Stahl met with more than 50 players at the school’s campus in Palo Alto, Calif., late last month. The Cardinal players elected fifth-year offensive lineman Fisher Anderson and fifth-year linebacker Ernest Cooper as player representatives.
“We (at Stanford) have always had a pretty tight relationship with the NFL Players Association,” Anderson said on a podcast produced by the CFBPA, which was founded with a goal of organizing players from major colleges. “Last year when this opportunity came about, it made me think if this is something that has had such a benefit on the National Football League, could it be done on the college football level?”
Stanford third-year defensive lineman Benedict Umeh echoed his teammate’s sentiment.
“Whenever I leave those meetings (with the NFLPA) I think, ‘Why don’t we have one of those?'” Umeh told The Athletic.
A bipartisan bill, the Protect College Sports Act, introduced in May by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), is unlikely to be voted on before the session ends in early August, The Athletic reported last week.
The bill aims to establish antitrust protections and national compensation standards for the NCAA and college conferences. Without it, college sports leaders believe that collective bargaining with athletes could create stability and ensure compliance with antitrust laws without needing government involvement.
“Standardization is necessary,” Umeh said. “The congressional bill could serve toward that purpose, give us the legal scaffolding to get everything in place. The issue with a congressional bill, in my eyes, is the players don’t get much of a say at all.”
This isn’t the first time college athletes have tried to form a union, but none of the previous movements have panned out, including Northwestern football players in 2014 and Dartmouth men’s basketball team in 2024.
Stahl in 2020 was involved in another athlete-organized movement initiated by Pac-12 players and, the following year, started the CFBPA.
In 2022, he attempted to organize Big Ten athletes to negotiate better long-term medical benefits and possibly a share of conference revenue. The plan also fizzled out despite some progress, especially at Penn State.
Although schools have been allowed to pay athletes directly since 2025 as part of a revenue-sharing plan, the athletes are not technically being paid to play. The compensation is for their name, image and likeness (NIL), and the players are regarded as independent contractors.
“The schools are paying us to play,” Umeh said.
A wide variety of state labor laws could make it difficult for the CFBPA to operate nationwide. Therefore, Stahl said the CFBPA hopes Division I players will establish local chapters and negotiate collectively with their respective conferences.
“College football players deserve a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape their athletic, academic and economic futures,” Stahl said. “Stanford football is the first of what the CFBPA envisions as 17 ACC football chapters, creating the framework for conference-wide player representation and, ultimately, collective bargaining.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
PGA Tour rookie Jackson Koivun rockets in rankings after maiden win
Jul 2, 2026; Silvis, Illinois, USA; Jackson Koivun walks off of the 15th green after making a putt during the first round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images One win has put Jackson Koivun on the map. It might also be enough to get him a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Koivun won the 3M Open on Sunday in Minnesota in his third start since turning pro. The 21-year-old, a former college star and No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, went 25 under par at TPC Twin Cities and beat World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler by three shots.
Not only did it secure Koivun a two-year exemption on tour and an invitation to the Masters, it also put him in the playoff hunt.
Koivun jumped 124 spots in the FedEx Cup points race to No. 70, the final spot that will qualify for the first leg of the playoffs, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, with two weeks to go in the regular season.
Koivun is ahead of recognizable names such as Australia’s Jason Day (No. 74), Keegan Bradley (No. 76), Brooks Koepka (No. 84) and Tony Finau (No. 87), who would miss the playoffs were the season to end Monday.
The 3M Open victory also vaulted Koivun from No. 206 to No. 73 in the Official World Golf Ranking. When Koivun entered the U.S. Open for his final start as an amateur, he was ranked No. 260; by making the cut and tying for 23rd there, he moved up to No. 217. He’d since climbed a bit higher after tying for 10th at the ISCO Championship.
Koivun was a three-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, a three-time All-American and a two-time national champion at Auburn. He turned pro ahead of the John Deere Classic in early July.
–Field Level Media
Yankees OF Cody Bellinger out 4-6 weeks with Grade 2 hamstring strain
Stanford players take first step toward collective bargaining unit
