Freshman five-star recruit Joe Mixon has been suspended by the Oklahoma Sooner football team for the entire 2014 season after the running back was charged with a misdemeanor stemming from an altercation at a Norman restaurant earlier this summer.
In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Oklahoma officials indicated that he action was taken because the program “sets the highest possible standards for its student-athletes, coaches and staff.”
Official Statement of The University of Oklahoma: pic.twitter.com/im5K96GnCE
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 18, 2014
Mixon, who was arraigned on Monday afternoon on charges stemming from an incident in which he allegedly punched female student Amelia Molitor, faces jail time if convicted. The altercation came after Mixon apparently used a gay slur against a friend of Molitor’s, who then acted out against the Sooner running back.
The freshman was a five-star recruit and ranked 53rd nationally on ESPN’s top 300. The legal process will likely dictate whether Mixon ever suits up for Oklahoma. This suspension is justified for a number of reasons, as violence against women should never be tolerated.
It comes on the heels of the NFL facing a PR disaster after suspending Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice just two games after he beat his then girlfriend unconscious in an Atlantic City hotel earlier this offseason. Maybe the NFL should look to Bob Stoops and Co. for how to handle similar situations.
Photo: USA Today