MMQB - The Punch, a Mistake and What Joe Mixon Has Learned

[Plankton]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/03/02/joe-mixon-punch-nfl-draft-combine

INDIANAPOLIS — I had the same trepidation writing about Joe Mixon that teams will have with the idea of drafting the Oklahoma running back on the last weekend of April.

In short, I worried there’s something else behind the figurative Door No. 2. And I know that if even there isn’t, something else still could happen.

After all, I don’t want to come off looking like a rube anymore than the NFL’s 32 teams do. Not after reading what was in the police report in the summer of 2014, and not after seeing exactly what was released on video in December. Mixon knows he can’t change the facts on July 25, 2014, either.

The punch he threw fractured bones in Amelia Molitor’s face. The visual evidence that came into the public realm 29 months after the fact is as gruesome as the Ray Rice video—which became public six weeks after Mixon’s incident—that rocked the NFL. Mixon has had to answer for it since. He’ll have to answer for it again, now.

Why are we all supposed to believe that wasn’t the real Joe Mixon in that video?

 

[Alexander]

I wonder how many people that are passing judgment on him already have actually seen the video.

I admit, I hadn't until yesterday after listening to his interview on Sirius NFL radio.

He came off well in that interview and after watching the video, I am not as quick to call him a monster.

 

[tyke1doe]

Look, I have argued up and down that a man shouldn't hit a woman. And I have confessed that I had a girlfriend slap me and scratch me and didn't lift a finger against her.

Having said that, I'm kind of sick of this scenario where women can basically haul off and hit guys are just supposed to take it. And if you point out that a woman shouldn't hit a man somehow you're enabling domestic abusers.

The point needs to be made that not only are guys not to hit women, especially if they have a distinct size advantage, but that women don't need to be putting their hands on grown men.

It seems as some women (particularly many feminists) are reluctant to preach this message.

Getting back to Joe Mixon, I don't think he's in the same category as Ray Rice. Rice cold-cocks his fiancé in a closed-quartered elevator, and their relationship suggests prior abuse. Mixon is in an argument with this young lady, and she hauls off and hits him not once but twice. Should he have taken it? Yes.
Is it reasonable to understand that if you hit someone twice, there's a tendency and a reaction for that person to hit you back. If we were honest and objective, we would also say, yes.

Be that as it may, I know of no previous patterns of abuse by Mixon, and this woman wasn't his girlfriend so there's no secret relationship or closet activities associated with domestic abuse that I know of. So I won't criticize a team that takes him high in the draft.

My three cents.

 

[Alexander]

Mixon is in an argument with this young lady, and she hauls off and hits him not once but twice. Should he have taken it? Yes.

He was also turning to basically leave the area when she struck him first. Granted still no excuses, but it looked very reactionary once it escalated. It was pretty clear to me that if it is that time of night (actually early morning) that there was alcohol involved. The female also has an arrest history herself.

Be that as it may, we have no previous patterns of abuse by Mixon, and this woman wasn't his girlfriend so there's no secret relationship and secret activities associated with abusive relationships that I know of. So I won't criticize a team that takes him high in the draft.

The fact that it was a total stranger and that she was reacting to homophobic slurs directed at her companion makes it a little different.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I wonder how many people that are passing judgment on him already have actually seen the video.

I admit, I hadn't until yesterday after listening to his interview on Sirius NFL radio.

He came off well in that interview and after watching the video, I am not as quick to call him a monster.

I don't believe in the 'a man should never hit a woman.' If a woman attacks a man, the man has the right to protect himself.

But it was clearly apparent in the video that Mixon was the agitator, the girl did shove him, but that shove wouldn't hurt a fly....and Mixon's immediate response was deck her with a knockout blow (that could have killed her).

Judging Mixon by an interview after the video reminds me of judging OJ as 'not a monster' when he was beating Nicole Brown. Forget the murder of Nicole (and Ron Goldman), he repeatedly beat the crap out of her and his *immediate* response to something Nicole did that he didn't like was to beat her senseless (and his son Jason, too).

But, OJ was well spoke, knew how to say the right things and everybody thought he wasn't a monster and he got off the hook numerous times. Why? Because that's what some people who know how to manipulate people do to get what they want.

Take somebody like Greg Hardy who isn't as articulate and doesn't know how to play the manipulation game and he gets charged and convicted for assault when he called 911 on his girlfriend for hitting him with the heel of her high heel shoe, she admitted to being drunk and high on coke, she ran from the police when they arrived to the scene and her testimony conflicted with the crime scene evidence and what she told the police. And we don't even have video of that incident.

Mixon really believes that 'you can't judge somebody by one mistake' and that's part of the problem with him. He has little understanding of reality. And he fails to realize that what people are more interested in is that he learns from this and never does it again. But by his words and the fact that his immediate response was to deck the girl, I don't think he has and I expect him to do it again.







YR

 

[DBOY3141]

To me this is another attempt by the NFL to say they are doing something. If you are going to prohibit him from going to the combine as a way of saying.."look at us, we are against this"..then the go the whole way and say, "if convicted, you will never play in the NFL".

Teams can interview him at the pro day and have him come in for a visit. Not going to the combine is only an inconveince to NFL teams. Does nothing to hinder this behavior.

 

[KingintheNorth]

It was a dumb mistake made by a young man.

At the same time, it's hard to tell someone exactly how you should react when someone hits you, even if logic shows that she was not a real threat to him.

The fact that there is no other history of this and that he has behaved since, makes this not much of an issue for me. Now, if he has any other incidents of violence against a woman, he's done. Once is a mistake, twice is a pattern, three times is a habit.

I would have zero issue with the Cowboys taking him late Friday or anytime on Saturday. We've paid more for guys who have done much worse.

 

[Alexander]

I would have zero issue with the Cowboys taking him late Friday or anytime on Saturday. We've paid more for guys who have done much worse.

Whomever takes him will have to get the blessing of the owner willing to take the inevitable and over the top PR heat. All kinds of aghast and judgmental things await that team on Twitter.

Jerry Jones has never shied away from taking a bullet for a risk. I have to admit, he is intriguing as a pure player once you get past the character issue.

 

[gmoney112]

I saw the video. Dude's an idiot.

He went back in looking for a fight, then proceeded to knock a chick that looked like she weighed 120 pounds out cold when he's a genetically talented football player.

Can't trust his judgment, and don't want the headache especially with the league's stance towards DV these days.

 

[stilltheguru88]

I don't care one bit about that punch. Seriously

 

[gmoney112]

I don't care one bit about that punch. Seriously

So if your daughter slaps a guy in college, or your wife slaps a guy out at the bar, you'd be fine with picking her teeth up off the ground and watching her go into surgery for a broken jaw or shattered orbital bone?

Just curious, because i've seen fully grown men suffer much worse from guys who weren't NFL caliber athletes.

It's honestly pretty amazing that nothing did happen to her. But, there's no way he could have known that at the time.

 

[stilltheguru88]

So if your daughter slaps a guy in college, or your wife slaps a guy out at the bar, you'd be fine with picking her teeth up off the ground and watching her go into surgery for a broken jaw or shattered orbital bone?

Just curious, because i've seen fully grown men suffer much worse from guys who weren't NFL caliber athletes.

It's honestly pretty amazing that nothing did happen to her. But, there's no way he could have known that at the time.

My daughter wouldn't do that soooooooooo

 

[KingintheNorth]

My daughter wouldn't do that soooooooooo

If that was my daughter, I would first make sure she's okay and gets whatever medical help she needed. I would want Joe to pay for those medical expenses. Then I would lecture her for being an idiot.

 

[Alexander]

I saw the video. Dude's an idiot.

He went back in looking for a fight, then proceeded to knock a chick that looked like she weighed 120 pounds out cold when he's a genetically talented football player.

I don't think he had any intention of picking a squabble with her, but rather her friend.

From the video, she has a few choice words, as he turns away, she becomes the aggressor.

While it does not excuse Mixon, young lady has had legal run ins herself. So hardly like just anybody's wife, daughter, etc.

 

[Sydla]

To me this is another attempt by the NFL to say they are doing something. If you are going to prohibit him from going to the combine as a way of saying.."look at us, we are against this"..then the go the whole way and say, "if convicted, you will never play in the NFL".

Teams can interview him at the pro day and have him come in for a visit. Not going to the combine is only an inconveince to NFL teams. Does nothing to hinder this behavior.

I heard Polian say the NFL really has this whole thing backwards. Forget making him miss the combine, they should fine him when he signs his contract. That's more likely to hinder behavior than telling a kid that he can't come to a weekend camp in Indy.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

If that was my daughter, I would first make sure she's okay and gets whatever medical help she needed. I would want Joe to pay for those medical expenses. Then I would lecture her for being an idiot.

If that was my daughter, I'd make sure she's okay and then I'd tell the police that they better find him before I do. And if they do find him before I do, I'm going to make sure every step of the way he pays for it.


There was a case in the Bronx were a 6'6" man (former minor league baseball player) who was minding his own business and being harassed by 3 women. Eventually, the man insulted one of the girls back and then turned to walk away. The girl had her high heeled shoe in her hand and smacked the man right in the face with it from behind. The man turned around and overhand slapped the holy hell out of her. He was initially arrested, but once the DA saw the video, he dropped the charges.

Now, if that was my daughter I would make her apologize to the man, educate her on how she has no right to attack anybody like that and make sure she works every bit of community service given to her (lots of people find ways to get out of community service).


I honestly don't care one bit that somebody that can do something that bad can play football well. I can find other great football players that wouldn't ever do a thing like that.

And trying to pass some blame to the victim because she's had some minor offenses with the law is ignorant, to say the least.








YR

 

[gmoney112]

I don't think he had any intention of picking a squabble with her, but rather her friend.

From the video, she has a few choice words, as he turns away, she becomes the aggressor.

While it does not excuse Mixon, young lady has had legal run ins herself. So hardly like just anybody's wife, daughter, etc.

If her "legal run ins" don't involve burglary/larceny, assault/battery, then they don't really concern me. I don't care about drugs. Just like I didn't with Sean Payton. If they were arresting and charging every kid that took drugs in college, they wouldn't have anyone graduating.

Yes, even most people's daughters. Kinda like how the Girls Gone Wild dads assumed their kids would just never do that. If dads knew what their daughters were doing on D1 campuses, they'd never sleep again.

Anyways, Mixon's story is stupid. A year later he said he didn't have any regrets.

Another coddled football player who probably doesn't read so good, but will have an NFL career after he knocked a chick out and gay bashed their friend. Pure class.

 

[KingintheNorth]

And trying to pass some blame to the victim because she's had some minor offenses with the law is ignorant,

who did that?

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

If that was my daughter, I would first make sure she's okay and gets whatever medical help she needed. I would want Joe to pay for those medical expenses. Then I would lecture her for being an idiot.

Then you obviously don't have children. Any father with half a sack would hunt Joey down and end his football career. I expect he'll be playing checkers and enjoying long showers with Joe Randall before long.

 

[stilltheguru88]

I heard Polian say the NFL really has this whole thing backwards. Forget making him miss the combine, they should fine him when he signs his contract. That's more likely to hinder behavior than telling a kid that he can't come to a weekend camp in Indy.

Polian is a piece of garbage.