Matt Miller of B/R reports that NFL teams are “softening” their stance on Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon and the off-the-field concerns surrounding him after he was suspended for punching a girl in the face.
Miller source’s mentioned that Mixon was “instigated” after being called a racial slur and spit at. Miller goes on to say that Mixon could now end up being a first-round pick after an impressive 2016 season.
While that may sound like good news for Mixon, Nolan Clay of the Oklahoman reported earlier in the day that the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the surveillance video of Mixon punch a girl in the face must be released.
Mixon punched an Oklahoma student, Amelia Molitor, in the face back in 2014 and was suspended from the football team for a season.
Molitor suffered fractured bones in her face from the incident and is currently suing Mixon in Oklahoma City federal court. Mixon recently offered an apology to Molitor, his teammates and fans.
We saw the kind of impact a video had on the Ray Rice domestic abuse case a few years ago and it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest NFL teams may no longer be “softening” their stance on Mixon if the video ends up being released at some point.
Mixon is considered to be one of the most talented running backs in next year’s draft class. However, this incident will surely impact his draft status and could lead to several teams taking him off their draft boards altogether.
During his college career at Oklahoma, Mixon has rushed for 1,936 yards on 282 carries (6.9 YPC) to go along with 60 receptions for 805 yards receiving and 24 total touchdowns over the courses of 24 games. Mixon has also contributed 504 kick return yards and a touchdown.
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