Mixon’s selection stirs static

TV station criticizes Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are facing a backlash over their decision to draft running back Joe Mixon, who punched a woman in the face while at Oklahoma.

Cincinnati added to its reputation for embracing players with troubled histories when it took Mixon in the second round. Even before Mixon arrived in town on Saturday, the choice was getting panned.

WCPO-TV posted an editorial on Saturday afternoon saying the club had gone too far this time. The editorial urged fans to stop buying Bengals tickets and instead donate money to organizations that work to prevent violence against women.

The local television station’s editorial said it was “disgraceful” to draft Mixon, who also was suspended for a game last season over a confrontation with a parking attendant

“Enough is enough, Bengals,” the editorial said. “We can excuse another season without winning a playoff game. We can’t excuse drafting a player like Joe Mixon.”

Rolling the dice: The New Orleans Saints had only one pick on Saturday, in the sixth round. They used it on another defensive end: Miami’s Al-Quadin Muhammad.

Coach Sean Payton often emphasizes character when acquiring players but has been known to suspend that requirement in the draft’s late rounds.

While at Miami, the 6foot-3, 253-pound Muhammad was reportedly suspended from the team for a fight during spring practice and later dismissed as part of a probe into whether he and a teammate received improper benefits from a car rental company.

Jets receiver shelved: New York Jets wide receiver Devin Smith is out for the season with a torn ligament in the same knee he had surgically repaired last year.

General manager Mike Maccagnan announced that Smith was injured the week before the Jets began their offseason workouts in mid-April. An MRI revealed the severity of the injury for Smith, New York’s second-round pick in 2015.