Oklahoma freshman RB Joe Mixon reaches plea agreement in assault case
Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon reached a plea agreement Thursday and will avoid trial for a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from a July 25 incident.
According to SoonerScoop.com, Mixon, a five-star freshman, entered an “Alford Plea,” where he will receive “a one-year deferred sentence” and complete “100 hours of community service” while undergoing “cognitive behavior counseling.”
In an Alford Plea, the defendant maintains innocence, but “concedes the prosecution has enough evidence” to reach a guilty verdict.
Kevin Finlay, Mixon’s attorney, said in a statement that entering the Alford Plea was “the best course of action.”
"Today, Joe has made the decision that entering an Alford Plea to the misdemeanor and accepting the short period of probation was the best course of action at this point in his life. Joe does not want to be a further distraction to his family, friends, teammates, and the University of Oklahoma. Joe would like to apologize to everyone affected by this unfortunate chain of events. Joe looks forward to continuing towards his goal of becoming a successful student and athlete at the University of Oklahoma."
Mixon pleaded not guilty in August and was suspended by the program for the entire 2014-15 season. The police affidavit stated that the victim in the incident, 20-year-old Amelia Rae Molitor, was knocked unconscious and suffered a “fractured jaw, fractured cheek bone, fractured sinus, and fractured orbit which caused a hematoma on the left eye.”
Surveillance cameras in the restaurant where the incident took place captured the scene and Norman, Okla., police arranged a viewing of the tape for the media in September.
Following the slap (from Molitor) across the left side of his neck, Mixon unloads a violent right handed hook. There's really not a nice or clean way of saying it. Molitor immediately falls to the floor from the strike, hitting her face on the edge of the table in the process. Mixon immediately bolts out of frame.
With the plea agreement now in place, video of the incident video will likely be released soon via an open records request.
Mixon, the No. 8 overall prospect in the country in the 2014 recruiting class, has not practiced with the team since arriving on campus over the summer.
For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
