A faint yet audible gasp came from the back of the room as Joe Mixon’s jarring punch connected with Amelia Molitor’s face, sending her blonde hair flying as she met the floor.
Seeing the video five times was enough. The scene was uncomfortable. Mixon’s strike was powerful.
A season-long suspension was initially met with question. The allegations were not to be taken lightly but a misdemeanor charge typically doesn’t constitute such a lengthy ban.
What Mixon did warrants the punishment. The OU administration and coach Bob Stoops made the right call.
The five-star freshman running back stands 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. Molitor’s 5-foot-6, 130 pound frame never had a chance. Gender aside, the discrepancy in stature was enough to make the violence hard to watch.
The gasp from one media member was understandable. It was a perceptible representation of the feelings many had when watching the tape.
And had it not been for one final thing Mixon said, perhaps the physical altercation could have been avoided.
No audio was provided, but the conversation was clearly heated. According to the affidavit, it began when Mixon made homophobic slurs to Molitor’s friend.
But just as the running back was beginning to walk away, he muttered one last thing to the friend — it was the tipping point. What ensued was a sequence wrapped up in a few seconds.
Molitor pushed Mixon. Mixon lunged at Molitor. Molitor slapped Mixon on the side of the face. Mixon immediately responded with a punch.
The force of it was stunning.
But Mixon’s most damning action was what he did after the punch.
He left immediately.
Molitor was slumped on the ground for many moments. She stumbled trying to get up before her friend and bystanders helped her into a seat. She was handed napkins in an attempt to quell the stream of blood.
The 18-year-old Mixon made a mistake. No one is denying his wrongdoing, especially after seeing the video — not President Boren, not Athletic Director Joe Castiglione and not coach Bob Stoops.
But the team already brought in transfer receiver Dorial Green-Beckham who allegedly shoved a woman down several stairs during his time at Missouri.
And linebacker Frank Shannon will miss the rest of the season after an alleged sexual assault in January.
Neither the team nor the university is going to tolerate violence against women. Whether Mixon’s season-long suspension came in the wake of these other incidents is unclear.
Maybe the school made the choice because it was the right thing to do.
Boren, Castiglione and Stoops met with District Attorney Greg Mashburn on the morning of August 18. While they declined to comment at the time, it has since been confirmed that the trio viewed the video. Mixon’s suspension was announced hours later.
Three of OU’s most recognizable figures clearly didn’t like what they had watched. One of them might’ve even let out a little gasp.
