Cincinnati Bengals star running back Joe Mixon is currently on trial and facing charges of aggravated menacing for pointing a gun at a woman in threatening to shoot her. According to Valerie Lyons of WCOP 9, if Mixon is found guilty he could be sentenced to up to 180 days in jail.
The allegations stem from an incident that occurred on January 21, the day before the Bengals beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time Mixon has been involved in situations of this magnitude. In 2014, Mixon punched a female Oklahoma student in the face, which was captured on a surveillance video. This incident negatively impacted Mixon’s draft stock, which ultimately saw him fall to the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Despite the looming questions surrounding Mixon’s character concerns, he has undeniably been one of the most productive running backs in the NFL since entering the league. Last season, he ran for 814 yards while catching a career-high 60 passes for an additional 441 yards. He scored nine total touchdowns in 2022, five of which came in Week 9 versus the Carolina Panthers.
Mixon was almost a cap casualty this offseason before he accepted to take a pay cut to remain with the Bengals in 2023. The restructured contract nearly cut Mixon’s salary in half for each of the next two seasons to allow him to potentially remain with the team for the foreseeable future.
After losing in the Super Bowl and AFC Championship game each of the past two seasons, the Bengals have made it clear they view Mixon as an integral part of their success despite the ongoing legal troubles.
