Embattled Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon opted to not speak with reporters to start the final week of the preseason after being found not guilty of aggravated menacing due to an incident last January.
According to ESPN’s Ben Baby, Mixon has specifically singled out certain reporters he won’t speak with for an unspecified amount of time:
“It’s not happening,” Mixon said, citing behavior he deemed disrespectful.
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.
The extended boycott means Mixon hadn’t publicly talked with reporters since the team’s mandatory media session at the conclusion of the 2022 season.
The Bengals issued a statement last week after Mixon was found not guilty after allegedly threatening a woman during a road rage incident, with Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Gwen Bender ruling prosecutors didn’t prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mixon also faces a civil lawsuit related to a shooting outside of his home in which he was not crimally charged or found to be the shooter.
The Bengals and Mixon came to an agreement on an incentives-based pay cut this offseason in order for him to remain with the team.
