Running back Joe Mixon can breathe a sigh of relief. The NFL has reversed the $25,000 fine initially imposed on the Houston Texans player following comments he made about the officiating during their playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last January.

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (IMAGN)

The Texans fell to the eventual AFC champions 23-14 in a game marked by two controversial penalties against the Houston defense for hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mixon's post-game remarks about the officiating drew the league's ire and resulted in the initial fine. However, appeals officer Chris Palmer, in a letter to Mixon, stated that the hearing process determined Mixon's words "did not necessarily publicly criticize the officials."

Mixon's post-game comments included the statement, "Everybody knows how it is playing up here. You can never leave it into the refs’ hands. The whole world sees, man, what it is. When it comes down to it, you can never leave it into the refs’ hands. It’s all good, though." Palmer's letter acknowledged that interpretations of statements can vary, and emphasized the importance of upholding the integrity of the game and its officials.

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)

Interestingly, the original fine stemmed from a social media post by former Cincinnati receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, which was mistakenly attributed to Mixon in a Sports Illustrated article. Houshmandzadeh's post questioned the fairness of the officiating, suggesting bias towards the Chiefs. The NFL later corrected the fine to reflect Mixon's actual statements, and Sports Illustrated rectified its misattribution.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images/File)

In his first season with the Texans, Mixon rushed for 1,016 yards in 14 regular-season games. He accumulated 88 rushing yards in the divisional round game against the Chiefs.