Bengals' Joe Mixon Won't Talk to Certain Reporters Due to 'Disrespectful Behavior'

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon announced he will not be speaking to reporters from certain outlets because of what he deemed to be "disrespectful behavior."

Per ESPN's Ben Baby, Mixon didn't elaborate on what was disrespectful, but he declared he will not answer questions from reporters representing Sports Illustrated, the Cincinnati Enquirer, Pro Football Network and ESPN.

Mixon clarified to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that he's not boycotting the outlets as a whole, but rather specific reporters. He named Baby, Kelsey Conway (Enquirer), James Rapien (SI) and Jay Morrison (PFN) as the reporters he will not speak to.

Baby noted that Mixon, who hasn't spoken to reporters during scheduled media access since the end of the 2022 season, had declined to speak to reporters in his first practice after being found not guilty of aggravated menacing on Thursday. He did the same after Sunday's practice before making his declaration to boycott certain reporters.

"It's not happening," Mixon told reporters. When asked to specify how anyone has been disrespectful, he responded, "You know how."

Mixon's agent also responded on X, indicating that the seventh-year veteran is not happy with how he's portrayed by certain reporters:

Mixon had been charged with misdemeanor aggravated menacing after he was accused of pulling a gun on a woman during a road rage incident. The alleged incident occurred on Jan. 21, one day before Cincinnati's AFC Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills.

While Mixon can put that situation in his rear view, he still remains the subject of a civil lawsuit after a teenage neighbor was shot in the foot while standing in Mixon's yard. While the 27-year-old was never charged nor considered a suspect in the shooting, the family of the boy accuses him of supplying the weapon and the bullets used in the incident.

The Bengals will play their third and final preseason game on Saturday against the Washington Commanders.