Just now, two of the Oklahoma Sooners best football players are suspended as a result of domestic violence with…
Due to domestic abuse, two of the Oklahoma Sooners‘ top football players are currently on suspension.
Okay, Normandy — Coach Bob Stoops of Oklahoma spoke about the security video that showed Sooners running back Joe Mixon hitting a female student in 2014 for the first time since it was made public. He threatened to bench Mixon from the team if the incident occurred again.
“We believed we had a big penalty, a strong penalty, two and a half years ago,” Stoops remarked on Wednesday. “It’s not enough anymore. These people are not eligible for a second opportunity. Simply said, unacceptable. They’ve been told enough, and they now know it. We hold more gatherings and similar events to educate and inform people about acceptable behavior, its boundaries, and its repercussions.
“The only actual option available is dismissal. It’s incredibly rare to find a young man with the opportunity to turn his life around, exercise some discipline, and emerge from it. Hopefully, the message that these behaviors are simply unacceptable in any degree and that there is no going back—I suppose it has never been acceptable—reaches even high school. I’m trying to convey that there’s really no going back from these kinds of things.”
Following a one-season suspension for breaking four bones in Oklahoma student Amelia Molitor’s face, Mixon was suspended, and Stoops has come under fire for letting him return to the Sooners. Shortly after the event, Stoops watched the surveillance tape for the first time in the Cleveland County District Attorney’s office with university president David Boren and athletic director Joe Castiglione.
“It was awful,” Stoops remarked. “I detested it. Without a doubt, I detested it as much as anybody else.
In response to a question about whether he believed Mixon’s continued attendance at Oklahoma implied support for violence against women, Stoops responded, “Yes, to some extent it does.”
And for that, Stoops expressed regret. “In the end, we thought it was a serious and severe penalty at the time. And once more, a few individuals who had watched the entire [film] at the time concurred. Others didn’t, though. I am aware of that, and I have always known that everyone would disagree on that point.”
Stoops stated that he never thought it would take this long for the surveillance film to be made public and that he wishes it had been made available at the time of the occurrence.
Upon being asked about his thoughts on the video’s association with his legacy and football program, Stoops responded, “That’s part of it.” That’s what I knew two years ago. Ultimately, though, it’s simple to brush it off or cut a guy out and move on. Ultimately, I wonder if I’m dedicating myself to these guys too much. I have faith in them, and at the time I thought an eighteen-year-old child should have a chance to make amends and perhaps even receive forgiveness. Furthermore, it cannot occur if it is not possible. However, that was the intended outcome.”
Although Mixon was the top-ranked recruit in the Sooners’ 2014 recruiting class, Stoops acknowledged the reasons why some have argued he only had a second opportunity at Oklahoma. Since then, Mixon has developed into one of the team’s best players. He was selected to the first team of the Big 12 and concluded the regular season as the second-most all-purpose yardage leader in the nation.
“I understand where people come with that,” he replied. “However, keep in mind that at the time of everything, he had not played a down here. Over the years, we’ve had a number of four- and five-star players who don’t amount to anything here. Ultimately, I can see where people are coming from, but I do think these young guys we recruit have a lot of potential—perhaps even too much. Most coaches, I think, do. But once more, two years later, you’re really not able to do that anymore.”
“Joe wants to do that, and I believe that will come,” Stoops stated. “Once more, now that it appears that every other civic problem has been resolved. That’s what he wants to do. That is something he must do.
“The true nature of Joe as a person has not been revealed to the public. Thus, perhaps, we can begin to proceed in that manner.”
Brenda Tracy, who claims she was sexually assaulted in 1998 by two Oregon State football players and two other males, is one of the people demanding reform. Tracy has openly shared her story in an effort to bring attention to the harm that sexual assault does. Among others, she has visited with athletes from Nebraska and Baylor; in August, she also had a meeting with players from Oklahoma.
After the release of the video, Tracy emailed Castiglione and Stoops.
“I would propose that you fly me out to Oklahoma after the first of the year and we sit down and create some new policies that will prevent future incidents of violent athletes being recruited to Oklahoma football,” the message read. “I suggest Oklahoma become the football industry’s gold standard. that your program would be recognized as the gold standard for accountability and the most effective ways to discipline and attract aggressive players.
On Wednesday, Stoops indicated that he had spoken with Tracy “a few days ago.”
“I think we can do that,” Stoops responded when questioned over her email. Brenda is someone I hope to hear from again, and I have no doubt that the administration and sports department of our university will too. I hope that is possible.”
