College Football

Joe Mixon Speaks Out for First Time Since Punch Heard Around the World

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:32 p.m. ET

Fansided, Chip Rouse/FanSided via Stormin in Norman

OU running back Joe Mixon took a giant forward step on Friday trying to dig out of a very deep hole that has been a recurring nightmare in his life the past two and a half years.

Nov 28, 2015; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) runs for a touchdown in the first half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

At a press conference on Friday, right before the Christmas Holiday, the Oklahoma star running back addressed the news media for the first time since punching a female student in the face during an altercation on a late summer night in 2014 before he had even played one down of football at Oklahoma.

Since that fateful night, the incident has been well documented, but the visual images of what occurred was not available for public viewing until late last week. The public reaction to the release of the surveillance video was immediate and highly predicatable. It rekindled a fire that has been smoldering for some time in Norman and around the country and underscored the deep-rooted societal attitude and zero tolerance toward acts of domestic abuse.

Mixon repeatedly expressed his regret and public apology for striking Amelia Molitor – I counted nearly a dozen different times he did so in the course of his comments during the press conference – and said he wanted to say something much earlier but was advised by counsel not to talk about the situation, presumably because of potential legal implications.

“It is never, never, never OK – never OK – to retaliate and hit a woman the way I did,” Mixon said. “I’m here to apologize to everyone who was affected by it.”

Mixon said he wanted to apologize the Ms. Molitor, but also to his teammates, Bob Stoops, president David Boren and the University of Oklahoma for the situation and for his regrettable actions.

The talented redshirt sophomore running back finds himself between the proverbial rock and a hard spot, all brought about by his spontaneous, ill-fated retaliation after Molitor allegedly hit Mixon first outside a popular Norman night spot on the night of July 25, 2014.

Mixon is eligible to leave OU early and declare for the National Football League, where he in all probability would have been a high-round draft choice were it not for what happened two and a half years ago. Now, though, there is legitimate concern about Mixon’s draft stock, and particularly how willing NFL teams are to take a chance on him.

Although Mixon says he is totally focused right now on beating Auburn in the Sugar Bowl and has not really thought much about the NFL or made a decision yet on his future status, we know that subject has to be on his mind.

Most folks in and around college football believe Mixon will leave early for the NFL, if for no other reason than to try to separate himself from ground zero and the stage where all the drama has played out. But there is also a chance that Mixon could be swayed by the idea that an extra season at Oklahoma and the chance to show more model citizenship and good behavior will help him gain some higher ground with prospective NFL employers.

You also could make an argument that Mixon believes he still owes something to Stoops, OU football and the university for affording him a second chance and standing with him when it would have been easier and perhaps more popular to cut ties from the problem right from the start.

In the next several weeks, we will definitely learn the answer to that question. For right now, however, Mixon’s personal expression of regret and remorse was absolutely the right thing to do. And from all appearances, it would be hard to deny the sincerity of his comments and genuine regret for what he did.

Mixon said the incident has haunted him every day since it happened.

“I dream about it,” he said. “If I could go back, I’d do whatever I could to change the outcome of that situation. I definitely would have walked or ran away and went about the situation differently.”

Later in the day on Friday, Molitor’s attorney issued a statement saying Molitor acknowledged Mixon’s apology and his taking full responsibility for his actions and what happened that night back in 2014.

Mixon said he would like the opportunity to be a spokesman and speak to groups about violence toward women. He said he has already had some discussions about speaking to groups or partnering with organizations that have a shared interest in that area.

It is uncertain what Mixon will ultimately decide to do after the Sugar Bowl, but if he does choose to return for another year as a Sooner, he should be welcomed back with the same support he has been shown for the past 30 months.

Everyone makes mistakes in life – some mistakes worse than others, obviously – what matters most, however, is what you learn from your mistakes and what you do about it going forward.

Mixon made a terrible mistake. There is no getting around that. But if his actions and words following that mistake are any judge, he has shown he is deserving of a second chance.