Houston Texans’ defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was fined $25,000 for comments about the officiating in their 23-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC playoffs. Anderson expressed frustration by stating, “We knew it was going to be us versus the refs going into this game.”
While the NFL routinely announces fines for on-field violations, it doesn’t typically disclose fines for off-the-field remarks like criticizing officials. The fine was reported by KPRC-TV in Houston and NBC Sports.
Additionally, Texans’ running back Joe Mixon faced a fine for his own critical comments about the officiating in the January 18 game. One of the controversial calls involved a roughing-the-passer penalty on Anderson for a hit on Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes. This penalty gave Kansas City a crucial first down, eventually leading to a field goal.
Interestingly, Anderson was not fined for the roughing-the-passer incident itself, highlighting the emphasis on addressing public criticism of officiating.
