Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesCincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon opened up about off-field incidents after he was acquitted on an aggravated menacing charge following a four-day trial.
"It is a great thing for everything to be pretty much over with and to be able to hone in on being the best teammate I can possibly be, being the leader and captain that I am around the team," he said, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.
"It's a blessing to be here for another year. I'm going to try to do whatever I can to be what I am to the teammates and the fans and try to do whatever I can to be that positive role model in this here locker room because that's what matters."
Dehner noted there is still a civil case pending against the running back and cases outstanding against his sister and trainer regarding an incident near his home in which a minor was shot during a game of "Nerf Wars."
ESPN's Ben Baby noted Mixon was not a suspect in the criminal investigation for that incident.
"I felt what's understood don't need to be explained," Mixon said when asked if he ever explained the various situations to his teammates, per Dehner.
"Everybody on the team knew what it was. Everybody knew what it is. In terms of that, I'm just going to keep on doing what I can to keep on being that positive role model around here. I'm just going to keep on doing what I can to building the leader and camaraderie around the locker room."
Baby reported Sunday that Mixon said he would not be speaking with specific reporters from ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the Cincinnati Enquirer and Pro Football Network because of what he saw as disrespectful treatment.
His agent, Peter Schaffer, also responded to Baby:
Peter Schaffer @peterjschafferYou know exactly why we don't talk to you. You consistently look for the negative and always are putting the players down. <br><br>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.
As for the aggravated menacing case in which Mixon was found not guilty, police said he pointed a gun at a woman. Yet a municipal court judge said prosecutors did not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt when issuing the ruling, per Baby.
The 2023 campaign will be his seventh with the team that selected him with a second-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He ran for 814 yards and seven touchdowns at 3.9 yards per carry last season, which was a dropoff from the 1,205 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground at 4.1 yards per carry he posted in 2021.
Cincinnati starts its 2023 season on Sept. 10 against the Cleveland Browns.
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