Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has been charged in a warrant with pointing a gun at a woman and threatening her, according to court documents.
Mixon faces a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing, according to the documents, which were filed Thursday in Hamilton County Municipal Court and obtained by The Associated Press. No attorney is listed for him in court records.
According to the warrant, Mixon pointed the gun at the woman and told her, “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you, the police (can't) get me.”
The incident occurred on Jan. 21, the day before the Bengals beat the Buffalo Bills in a divisional-round playoff game.
The 26-year-old Mixon rushed for 814 yards and seven touchdowns this season, his sixth. He also had 60 receptions for 441 yards, both career highs, and two touchdowns.
A second-round draft pick out of Oklahoma in 2017, Mixon has spent his entire career with Cincinnati and rushed for career highs of 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2021.
In 2014, when he was 18, Mixon punched a female Oklahoma student in the face, an attack captured on surveillance video. He was suspended from the football team for a year and entered an Alford plea, in which a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges there is sufficient evidence for a conviction. He received a deferred sentence and was ordered to perform community service and undergo counseling.
The incident hurt his standing in the draft, with several teams saying they passed on him because of concerns about his character.
"The club is investigating the situation and will not comment further at this time," a team spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.
According to the warrant, Mixon allegedly pointed a gun at an individual Jan. 21 and said the person should be "popped in the face." The warrant states the incident occurred on the intersection of Walnut Street and East Third Street in downtown Cincinnati, one day before the Bengals defeated the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
In a statement issued by Mixon's agent, Peter Schaffer, said he expects Hamilton County officials to drop the charges Friday morning, stating that it was a rush to judgment.
"I really feel that police have an obligation before they file charges -- because of the damage that can be done to the person's reputation -- to do their work, " Schaffer said.
In 2014, Mixon was charged with misdemeanor assault for punching a woman. At the time, Mixon was a running back at the University of Oklahoma. He alleged he was called a racial slur, which prompted him to use an anti-gay slur before the assault occurred. Mixon entered a plea deal and was given a year of probation and suspended for one season.
Mixon was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. He signed a four-year extension in 2020 worth $48 million and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020.Watch video