Joe Mixon will end up facing a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing. After the charge was dropped in February, Sharon Coolidge and Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer report. Mixon will be recharged in connection with a January road-rage incident.
The Bengals running back allegedly pointed a gun at a woman during a traffic encounter, which occurred before the team was to gather at Paycor Stadium before departing for its divisional-round game in Buffalo. Mixon must appear in court on April 19.
“This decision was reached following the discovery of new evidence during the investigative process,” a statement from Cincinnati police said, via the Enquirer. The Bengals released a statement indicating they are aware of the charge, Conway tweets.
Mixon, 26, allegedly pointed a gun at a woman at 12:49 p.m. on Jan. 21 in downtown Cincinnati. While police initially dropped the charge in February, the door remained open to it being refiled upon further review. The woman who submitted the complaint indicated she will cooperate with authorities, Coolidge and Conway add.
The Bengals took some heat back in 2017 when they selected Mixon, who had been suspended from Oklahoma’s team for punching a woman in the face. A woman shoved and slapped Mixon during a July 2014 dispute at a restaurant; Mixon’s punch broke four bones in the woman’s face. The Sooners suspended Mixon for the 2014 season, but he returned and emerged on the draft radar after two productive seasons. The Bengals took Mixon in the second round; he has been the team’s starting running back for most of his career.
Mixon agreed to a deferred sentence in connection with the assault, undergoing counseling and performing community service. As a result, no conviction appears on his record. Since the incident occurred before Mixon entered the NFL, he was not suspended. Mixon could be suspended for the January incident, however, regardless of the case’s outcome.
The Bengals, who gave Mixon a $12M-per-year extension in 2020, have not committed to keeping Mixon for a seventh season. The team made an offer to retain Samaje Perine, but Mixon’s longtime backup opted to sign with the Broncos. But Cincinnati can save $10M by designating Mixon as a post-June 1 cut. The seventh-year back is due a $9.4M base salary in 2023. Mixon’s contract runs through the 2024 season.
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