OU RB Joe Mixon meets with media, doesn't answer assault questions
If you were thinking Joe Mixon would address the reason for his 2014 suspension when he met with media on Tuesday in advance of the Orange Bowl, your thoughts were incorrect.
Mixon, who missed the previous season after surveillance footage captured him punching a woman at a restaurant, did not answer "non-football" questions. Reporters at the session were told that if they asked questions regarding the incident, they would be told to leave.
Mixon on decision to keep ?s football related: "It’s mine and my lawyer. You all have to hear from him if you want to hear anything."
— Guerin Emig (@GuerinEmig) December 29, 2015
We've been told that anyone who asks Joe Mixon a non-football question will be escorted out. I'm ready for lunch anyway.
— Paul Myerberg (@PaulMyerberg) December 29, 2015
For the record: No media member was asked to leave & plenty of non-football questions asked, though Mixon declined to answer.
— Lindsay Schnell (@Lindsay_Schnell) December 29, 2015
His lawyer said later Tuesday afternoon that Mixon didn't answer questions because the threat of a civil suit.
Just spoke w/ Kevin Finlay, Joe Mixon's attorney. He said Joe wants to talk about incident, but won't yet because of a possible civil suit
— Jason Kersey (@jasonkersey) December 29, 2015
Mixon, who was charged with misdemeanor assault, reached a plea agreement regarding the incident, which happened in July of 2014. He entered what's known as an "Alford plea" that came with a one-year deferred sentence and 100 hours of community service. Mixon had originally pled not guilty.
The incident was captured on video and the video was viewed by some media members. According to a police affidavit from the incident, the 20-year-old woman Mixon punched suffered a “fractured jaw, fractured cheek bone, fractured sinus, and fractured orbit which caused a hematoma on the left eye.”
Here's how Sooner Scoop described the video after seeing it:
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.
There appeared to be a disconnect regarding who issued the threat to media members regarding the non-football questions on Tuesday.
FYI: Threat to ask media members to leave did NOT come from Oklahoma … Also didn’t come from Orange Bowl. Seems OB rep spoke out of turn.
— Lindsay Schnell (@Lindsay_Schnell) December 29, 2015
And VP of Communications from Orange Bowl said it did NOT come from Orange Bowl. I think rep spoke out of turn. https://t.co/vOZSed797S
— Lindsay Schnell (@Lindsay_Schnell) December 29, 2015
Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione also said he didn't have "legal recourse" to make Mixon answer questions about the incident.
#Sooners AD Joe Castiglione said decision to not let Joe Mixon answer non-football Qs was made by legal counsel. pic.twitter.com/MmYrrWCHJ4
— Brady Vardeman (@BradyVardeman) December 29, 2015
Mixon, a former five-star recruit, has over 1,000 combined yards rushing and receiving in 2015 backing up Samaje Perine. Earlier this year, Oklahoma president David Boren said he believed that Mixon and Frank Shannon, who also missed the 2014 season because of a team suspension, would return to the team as "better people."
Perhaps Boren was correct. Mixon described himself as a "great person" on Tuesday.
Huge media scrum around OU RB Joe Mixon. He answered only football questions, said he has "no" regrets, calls himself "great person."
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) December 29, 2015
Oklahoma kicks off against Clemson at 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday.
For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.
Related Orange Bowl video from Yahoo Sports:
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
