4 Reasons Why the Raiders Should Avoid Mixon and Westbrook
Last night, I received a message via Facebook, complementing what the blog does. Then, the message asked about Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon and WR Dede Westbrook. The reader asked when Mixon would receive his draft profile, stating that Mixon’s off-field behavior was a one-time occurence. While that may be true, levels exist to this story. As for Westbrook, he was arrested twice on domestic violence offenses while police dropped the charges. Here’s why the Raiders should completely avoid them.
No Mistake: In Mixon’s case, he did not trip and hit the woman. He responded to a much smaller woman slapping him by knocking her out and breaking bones in her face. By the same token, Westbrook’s former girlfriend alleged he punched her in the jaw. While the University of Oklahoma excuses this behavior repeatedly, the Raiders won’t.
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The Video: By now, most of you saw the startling video of Joe Mixon punching the woman. Granted, he hasn’t repeated this action. Yet, one time is more than enough. When you look at the video, Mixon could’ve walked away. He didn’t. This video will haunt him through his entire career. There’s no excusing it. As a reminder, here’s the film.
History: The Raiders set the standard for combating domestic violence. As mentioned in previous articles, Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff established the Biletnikoff Foundation. After his daughter Tracey’s boyfriend murdered her, leaving the body in a ravine, Fred wanted to act. For the purpose of helping a member of the Raiders family, Mark Davis donated 50 thousand dollars to the foundation to build a group home. Also, the Raiders remain on of the charity’s largest supporters. With that said, how would drafting players with backgrounds tainted by domestic violence look?
McKenzie’s Track Record: A small segment of RaiderNation mentions the name Tyreek Hill as a player Reggie McKenzie missed on. No, he didn’t. McKenzie knew what Hill did. As a reminder, while at Oklahoma State, Hill choked and punched his pregnant girlfriend. While the Chiefs tolerate that behavior, Oakland is much better than that.
The Raiders will continue to march to the Super Bowl without these players. In all honesty, they do not need Mixon or Westbrook to succeed. In fact, they are better without them. Can you imagine the media circus flying around this organization upon their selections? Under those circumstances, the team is subject to intense scrutiny that they do not need or want.
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