Bob Stoops admits Joe Mixon punishment was not severe enough
Oklahoma Sooners head football coach Bob Stoops met with the media for the first time since the Joe Mixon assault video was released.
Bob Stoops met with the media to address the controversy surrounding the Oklahoma Sooners football program after the release of a video showing Joe Mixon assaulting a female student. Mixon punched the woman more than two years ago but the video wasn’t released until recently which resulted in a new firestorm of outrage over Stoops allowing him to remain on the team.
Stoops punished Mixon at the time by suspending him for his freshman season where he took a redshirt and was unable to practice with the team. He was reinstated after the season and has been one of the Sooners best players over the last two years. He has NFL ability and would likely be a second or third round pick if not for his off-the-field concerns.
It’s the off-the-field concerns that can’t be overlooked, however, and Stoops did his best to admit he made a mistake. Stoops was taken aback by the video just like the public was after seeing Mixon strike the woman in the face that left her with broken bones.
Bob Stoops’ 1st rxn seeing Mixon video in 2015: “It was horrible. I hated it, disliked –hated it as much as anybody did. Absolutely.”
— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) December 21, 2016
Stoops also mentioned the punishment for Mixon was not severe enough, something many were exclaiming upon witnessing the horrific act. How was he able to return to the football team and remain a student at Oklahoma when he was clearly a threat to other students on campus?
The benefit of hindsight won’t do Stoops any favors in the court of public opinion who have already deemed him guilty of sacrificing everything good and right for the promise of winning.
Stoops said 2 1/2 years later, the punishment for Mixon was not severe enough.
— John Shinn (@john_shinn) December 21, 2016
Stoops saying there is no recovering from these incidents anymore and dismissal is the only course of action doesn’t mean much now. Mixon is likely leaving for the NFL after playing in the Sugar Bowl against Auburn so he’ll be gone and Stoops won’t have to answer any questions about him.
Stoops: 2 1/2 years later, dismissal is the only thing that's possible. … There' no recovering from these incidents anymore.
— John Shinn (@john_shinn) December 21, 2016
However, now is the time where Stoops will be judged by his character and how he reacts the next time something like this happens again. Will Stoops bring in recruits with a history of assault like he did with Dede Westbrook or when he welcomed Dorial Green-Beckham to Norman after he was kicked off the Missouri team?
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If Stoops doesn’t prove that his new zero-tolerance policy is anything more than rhetoric to douse the flames of a firestorm of controversy, it’ll be the latest example of a coach lying to cover his own neck.