Video of Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon punching woman released
Two and a half years after Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon punched a woman at a restaurant, surveillance footage of the incident was released Friday.
According to The Oklahoman, Mixon himself requested his attorney publicly release the footage of him punching Amelia Molitor in the face in July 2014, when Mixon was a true freshman. Molitor suffered facial fractures in the incident and Mixon was charged with misdemeanor assault. Mixon eventually reached a plea deal and was suspended by Oklahoma for the 2014 season.
The running back, who has since emerged as one of the top offensive players in the Big 12, issued an apology in November. The apology followed two of the three claims in a lawsuit filed by Molitor against Mixon being dismissed.
“Mr. Mixon asked us to once again say he is sorry for the way he reacted that night. He has apologized publicly to Ms. Molitor, her friends, his family, teammates and the University,” his attorney, Blake Johnson, wrote in a letter per The Oklahoman. “He hopes that his voluntary release of these recordings will help put this matter to rest.”
Below is a portion of the video. You can view the entire video here. It is graphic.
After the footage was released, Oklahoma released a statement.
“University officials were made aware of the content of the video prior to taking action with respect to Joe Mixon,” the statement says. “Based on that information, the university immediately suspended and removed Mr. Mixon from the football team for one year, during which high standards of conduct were expected and maintained. It was made clear to Mr. Mixon at the time of his suspension that violence against women will not go unpunished at the university.
“Coach Bob Stoops has been proactive in presenting training for his team aimed at preventing such behavior in the future. Sensitivity training in the area of violence has been intensified and best practices will continue to be implemented. Mr. Mixon has apologized for his actions and the university hopes that it is an indication that he has learned from his mistakes. We asre an educational institution where we hope young people will learn from their mistakes and chart a better future course.”
As part of his plea agreement, Mixon completed one year of probation, 100 hours of community service and participated in cognitive behavior counseling in addition to his season-long suspension. The university decided to suspend Mixon after OU president David Boren, athletic director Joe Castiglione and head coach Bob Stoops watched video of the incident.
Norman Police arranged a viewing of the video for local media members, but the video had not been made public until now.
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The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the city of Norman should release the video. The ruling followed a Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters suit filed requesting to see the video.
Mixon’s attorney said the OU redshirt sophomore gave the OK to release the video. From The Oklahoman:
“While Mr. Mixon is not a party to the OAB lawsuit and has not been directed by the Court to make any disclosure, he does not see any reason for the release of the recording at issue in that lawsuit to be delayed any longer,” Johnson wrote in the letter.
“Further delay appears only to be generating unfounded speculation about what is shown in that video,” the attorney wrote. “We also see no reason to withhold the second recording we received from Ms. Molitor’s attorneys and so have included it as well.”
Mixon is contesting the lone claim, intentional infliction of emotional distress, in Molitor’s suit not dismissed in Oklahoma City court last month. Per The Oklahoman, Mixon’s attorneys say Molitor’s actions “contributed in whole or in part to any claimed loss or injuries.”
Mixon has 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns rushing this season along with 32 catches for 449 yards and five scores. The Sooners, ranked No. 7 in the country, will play No. 14 Auburn in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2.
For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
