Lots of storylines for tomorrow’s Super Bowl Championship Game in Los Angeles.
Matthew Stafford. Aaron Donald. Odell-Beckam Junior. Von Miller. Cooper Cupp. Sean McVay. That’s just on the Rams’ side of the field.
On the other side of the field there’s Joe Burrow, Lamar Chase, Zac Taylor, and former OU running back Joe Mixon.
Sports are a microcosm of real life whether you want to admit it or not.
Joe Mixon made a horrible judgement on the night of this incident which occurred in a Norman bar on the very night Joe Mixon as a true freshman turned nineteen years of age.
He was a kid from Oakland who came from a single parent home who was raised by his mother.
If you’ve seen the video you know if was horrible to witness. A young white woman and a male friend approached the table where Joe and another true freshman from Chicago were sitting at a booth. The woman and the male said something to Joe Mixon and he rose up and struck her with a blow from his fist.
Did this woman call Joe Mixon a nigger?
I don’t know. Probably. But that doesn’t legally justify what Joe Mixon did on that night of his nineteenth birthday.
His lawyer smartly plead Joe guilty and utilized a seldom used Alford Plea to keep Joe from possibly serving time. I believe he was put on probation, required to serve a hundred hours of community service, and go through counseling.
He was removed from all contact from the OU football team and was told if he addressed these requirements, he possibly come back and play football for Bob Stoops at OU.
I’m sure there was some sort of civil settlement agreed to by both parties, but I’m sure that remained confidential as part of the settlement.
My father was a criminal defense lawyer. One of the best during his prime in Oklahoma County.
Would he have taken Joe Mixon’s case? I would say absolutely because sometimes as a defense lawyer you have a chance to help a client find their own personal redemption beyond just the legalese trappings of a courtroom. You have a chance to make a positive impact on another human being’s life.
Joe Mixon returned to OU to play for Bob Stoops. His mother did not want him to return to Oakland because she wanted her son as far away from gang violence as possible. Both she and Joe were adamant that Joe staying with Bob Stoops was the best possible life decision they could make as a mother and son.
Clearly, they made the right decision.
While the game in Los Angeles tomorrow holds many fascinating storylines…the one which will be tugging at my heart the most will be Joe Mixon.
I hope he has found peace within himself.
Good luck, Joe Mixon.