Menacing charge against Bengals’ Mixon dismissed
Bengals running back Joe Mixon no longer faces a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing over allegations that he threatened and pointed a gun at a woman in Cincinnati. A Friday order dismissing the case in Hamilton County Municipal Court said only that the city prosecutor’s office requested the dismissal “in the interest of justice.”
A warrant for Mixon was issued Thursday. A police officer’s accompanying affidavit alleged that the 26-year-old pointed a firearm and told the victim: “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you, the police (can’t) get me.”
It said the altercation happened a few blocks from the Bengals’ stadium on Jan. 21 — the day before Cincinnati beat the Buffalo Bills in a divisional-round playoff game — but included no other details about the circumstances.
“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,” said Mixon’s agent, Peter Schaffer.
A statement from the Bengals said the team was investigating the situation and not commenting further on the charge or its dismissal.
AFC has early Pro Bowl lead: Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr scored an event-high 31 points in the precision passing contest of the Pro Bowl skills competitions Thursday night to give the AFC an early 9-3 lead over the NFC.
Carr, in familiar territory with the events being held at Raiders headquarters, said he will not extend the Feb. 15 deadline to help facilitate a trade from Las Vegas. The Raiders must trade or release the quarterback by that date — three days after the Super Bowl — or Carr’s contract will become guaranteed and Las Vegas will have to pay him $40.4 million over the next two years.
But his performance during the two-day competitions boosted the AFC with each event counting as three points.
The AFC also won the lightning round — a series of competitions that included a water balloon toss — and long drive contest, and the NFC got on the scoreboard by winning the dodgeball tournament.
The NFL changed the Pro Bowl format this year, replacing the traditional all-star game with a flag football contest and series of other skills events. Four skills events take place Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, and those also will be three points each.
Three flag football games will then be played, the first two each worth six points. The points will then be combined with those accumulated from the skills events, which will be the score entering the third and final flag football game to determine the winner.
Free CPR training in Arizona: Inspired by the lifesaving medical attention Damar Hamlin received on the field during a game last month, the NFL and American Heart Association will provide free CPR education in Arizona throughout Super Bowl week as part of the NFL Experience at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Hamlin, the 24-year-old Buffalo Bills defensive back, needed to be resuscitated after making a tackle in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington performed CPR on Hamlin on the field.