A University of Oklahoma football player told authorities he was shocked that a woman hit him “so hard” in a 2014 altercation; “It felt like a dude hit me,” according to a police interrogation video made public Tuesday.
The 2-year-old video showed Joe Mixon explaining to officers what led to him punching the woman in the head after she accosted him.
Mixon, who is a sophomore running back for the Sooners, is seen in surveillance video released last week assaulting Amelia Molitor at a restaurant in 2014. That graphic video, released Friday by Mixon’s attorneys, shows the woman shoving and slapping Mixon. Mixon then lunges at Molitor and punches her in the head.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court recently ruled the surveillance video had to be released to the public.
CNN, as well as other media outlets, on Tuesday obtained a copy of the video of Mixon’s 2014 interrogation with police.
In the video, Mixon said Molitor intentionally blew smoke in his face and knocked his glasses off before shoving him. Mixon also said one of Molitor’s friends directed a racial slur toward him.
Below is part of Mixon’s account to police in the interrogation video, after Mixon alleges Molitor blew smoke into his face.
“The gay dude, he was like, he was just like, he called me something,” Mixon said to police. “He was like, ‘(expletive).’ So then I was like, ‘Well, you got me messed up.’ And then I called him a (expletive).
“And 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. I was like, ‘Watch out.’ And then she came in my face. I put my head down. And she swung on me.
“And after that, like, I was so shocked, because she hit me so hard. It felt like a dude hit me. And, like, after that, like, my face went boom, my reaction was just right there.”
According to multiple reports, including from CNN affiliate KFOR, Mixon accepted an Alford plea deal, which is when a defendant doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence for a conviction.
The KFOR report said Mixon received a one-year deferred sentence, meaning he didn’t serve any time. He also was sentenced to 100 hours of community service, ordered to undergo counseling and faced roughly $1,200 in fines.
Molitor, who suffered numerous broken bones in her face from the assault, has a civil suit pending against Mixon.
On Friday, after the video of the punching was released, the University of Oklahoma issued a statement.
“University officials were made aware of the content of the video prior to taking action with respect to Joe Mixon,” the statement said. “Based on that information, the university immediately suspended and removed Mr. Mixon from the football team for one year, during which high standards of conduct were expected and maintained. It was made clear to Mr. Mixon at the time of his suspension that violence against women will not go unpunished at the university.”
The Friday statement also said that head football coach Bob Stoops “has been proactive in presenting training for his team aimed at preventing such behavior in the future.”
Mixon was suspended for the 2014 season but didn’t lose a year of eligibility. He returned to the team in 2015 for his freshman year. As a sophomore, he has played in 11 games this season.
No. 7 Oklahoma will face No. 14 Auburn in the Sugar Bowl on January 2 in New Orleans.
