Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon has been under a firestorm over the past few days, as the video of him punching a woman in an Oklahoma cafe was finally released last Friday. The incident, which occurred in 2014, resulted in Mixon being charged with a misdemeanor, and he was suspended from the Oklahoma football team for one season.
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Mixon spoke to the media on Friday:
"I'm just here to basically apologize to Ms. Molitor." -Joe Mixon #sooners pic.twitter.com/AAdqN1ZerR
— Sam Gannon (@SamGannon87) December 23, 2016
Joe Mixon: "I'm here to apologize to Ms. Molitor (the woman he punched). I ask for your forgiveness.. I let a lot of people down."
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 23, 2016
Mixon: It really doesn't matter what she did, it's all on me. I take full responsibility for what I did. It's never OK to hit a woman. Never
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 23, 2016
As for why it took Mixon nearly 2.5 years to speak out on the matter:
Joe Mixon said he was advised by his legal team not to talk publicly after the video was released. #sooners
— Sam Gannon (@SamGannon87) December 23, 2016
On if he's made a decision on the NFL:
"I haven't made a decision. I'm focused on January 2nd, beating Auburn." Joe Mixon says he's not worried about the NFL right now #sooners
— Sam Gannon (@SamGannon87) December 23, 2016
Mixon says that he hasn't made a decision on the NFL and is focused on Jan. 2 vs. Auburn.
Bob Stoops will let him play, too. Because OU.
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) December 23, 2016
Mixon did admit at the end of the media session that he considered transferring, but at decided to stick with head coach Bob Stoops as he stood by him.
Stoops spoke out on the issue earlier in the week.
Bob Stoops says "world has changed” in 2.5 years. “Dismissal (now) is only thing that’s possible…There’s no recovering from these anymore."
— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) December 21, 2016
Bob Stoops says if the Mixon incident happened now instead of two years ago he would dismiss Joe Mixon.
— The Sports Animal (@sportsanimal) December 21, 2016
Stoops — who saw the video of the punch back in 2014 — has defended his actions for giving Mixon a second chance, but it now looks like he is changing his view on the situation after the video of the incident was released to the public.
Mixon has since become a key part of the Oklahoma football team since his suspension was lifted. Mixon was Oklahoma's leading rusher for the 2016 campaign, running for 1,183 yards and scored 14 total touchdowns.
Despite Stoops' comments, Mixon will suit up for Oklahoma and is expected to play against Auburn on January 2 in the Sugar Bowl.
