Revisiting Joe Mixon’s college controversy when Bengals star was accused of punching a woman - “My face went boom”
Joe Mixon may be one of the best running backs in the NFL right now, but he has had his share of controversies in the past. In July 2014, the then-Oklahoma Sooners star was accused of assaulting student Amelia Molitor in a sandwich shop on the college campus.
Surveillance footage from the shop showed Mixon and Molitor exchanging words. However, when Molitor pushed Mixon, he retaliated by making a threatening, lunging motion towards her, who responded by slapping Mixon.
The footballer then punched Molitor, who fell to the ground before he escaped the scene. It was later revealed that Molitor had broken multiple bones in her face after being punched by Mixon.
However, upon narrating his side of the story to the police, Mixon claimed that he was simply reacting to both, a racial slur uttered by one of Molitor’s companions and the swing she took at him.
"The gay dude ... he called me something. He was like, 'n-----.' So then I was like, 'you got me messed up.' And then I called him a f-g." Mixon said, "After that, the girl, she dropped her purse, that's when she came in my face, pushed me, and then my glasses came off, and then, like, I had, like, jumped at her, like, to watch out. And then she came in my face. I put my head down. And she swung on me."
Mixon also explained that Molitor had initially hit him quite hard.
"And after that, like, I was so shocked, because she hit me so hard. It felt like a dude hit me. And after that, like, my face went boom, my reaction was just right there."
Due to his actions, Joe Mixon was suspended by the Sooners for the 2014 season. He was also accused of assaulting Molitor and had a lawsuit filed against him.
However, in April 2017, Mixon and Molitor were able to reach a settlement, just a few weeks before the football star was picked by the Cincinnati Bengals in the draft.
The statement from Joe Mixon & his victim Amelia Molitor on her lawsuit. Actually has her saying, "We both could've handled it differently." https://t.co/3URPoCOtOt
Joe Mixon's college stats: How good was the controversial Bengals star?
Joe Mixon had an impressive college football stint with the Oklahoma Sooners. He served a one-year suspension in the 2014 season but returned the following year, rushing for 753 yards on 113 attempts and scoring seven touchdowns on the ground.
In 2016, he racked up a staggering 1,274 yards on 183 attempts with 10 touchdowns.
He finished his college career with 3,425 all-purpose yards and 28 touchdowns before being selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft.