Joe Mixon’s legal troubles are largely behind him. However, his problems with the media are very much front and center.
On Thursday, Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon was cleared of menacing charges. But, on Sunday, in his first press availability since being cleared of those charges, Mixon decided not to answer questions from reporters.
Though, he did make it clear that there were four reporters from different local and national outlets. The four he won’t speak with?: ESPN’s Ben Baby, the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, SI’s James Rapien, and the Athletic’s Jay Morrison.
Joe Mixon, #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals, carries the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the third quarter in the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 29, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Chief among the reporters Mixon has selected for exclusion appears to be ESPN’s, Ben Baby. The ESPN reporter took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to post that Mixon had called reporters “disrespectful” without giving an explanation. This post drew a sharp rebuke from Mixon’s attorney, Peter Schaffer, who claims Baby knows exactly why his client said that.
“You know exactly why we don’t talk to you,” Schaffer wrote. “You consistently look for the negative and always are putting the players down. 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.”
You know exactly why we don’t talk to you. You consistently look for the negative and always are putting the players down.
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.
— Peter Schaffer (@peterjschaffer) August 20, 2023
Initial reports claimed that Mixon intended to exclude entire outlets from interviews. However, it turns out that only certain reporters have been shunned.
Mixon is headed into his seventh season with the Bengals. He has rushed for 5,378 yards and 40 touchdowns in his first six years.