Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops says running back Joe Mixon keeps meeting the standards demanded of him since his season-long suspension two years ago after being charged with punching a women in the face.
Stoops was asked Tuesday at Big 12 football media days if he found it difficult to rationalize Mixon being a full-scholarship athlete with increased awareness nationwide about domestic violence on campuses.
While not giving any specifics, Stoops said Mixon has met all the conditions that were put in front of him when he returned to the Sooners last year.
"Joe Mixon was punished. We've already been through all of this," Stoops said. "He's met high standards. Continues to have to meet high standards to remain a part of the football team, but he has done so all along."
After being suspended by Stoops from all football-related activities during the 2014 season, Mixon ran 753 yards and seven touchdowns last year as a redshirt freshman.
"So everybody has different measures of what's enough punishment and what is not," Stoops said. "In the end, we felt, myself along with our administration, that this was the right punishment and he's met all the conditions we put in front of him and he was removed for a full season."
Amelia Molitor, the woman Mixon was accused of punching, told The Oklahoman in a story published last weekend that she thought every person who looked at her in Norman, Oklahoma, knew her and hated her. Molitor remained at Oklahoma and is scheduled to graduate in December with a dual degree in philosophy/human relations.
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Mixon accepted one year of probation in October 2014 after being charged in the incident that occurred that summer at a restaurant in Norman.
In his plea with the Cleveland County District Attorney's office in Oklahoma, he acknowledged there was likely enough evidence to convict him of misdemeanor assault while still asserting his innocence. He has since completed a one-year deferred sentence, 100 hours of community service and cognitive behavior counseling.
