Why Was Joe Mixon Suspended for His First Collegiate Season?

Joe Mixon is putting together a tremendous year. In fact, the former Bengal may very well be headed to his second Pro Bowl later this season. However, the talented RB’s football career almost never got off the ground.

Before Mixon had even stepped on the field at the University of Oklahoma, his off-field actions nearly cost him his opportunity with the Sooners. In 2014, he reportedly punched a woman at a sandwich shop close to Oklahoma’s campus. Mixon was charged with a misdemeanor and was eventually suspended for the 2014 campaign.

According to ESPN, Mixon told police that an associate of the woman in question hurled a racial slur at him. The RB also retaliated with a slur. Moments later, the woman reportedly slapped him. Then, he hit her back.

“He was like, ‘n—–.’ So then I was like, ‘you got me messed up.’ And then I called him a f-g. 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 she came in my face. I put my head down. And she swung on me… 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.”

After the incident and suspension, Mixon made his Sooners debut the next season. He dominated from the jump, scoring a 76-yard receiving touchdown in his first game. The RB went on to average 6.8 yards per carry in two seasons at Oklahoma. His 2,921 scrimmage yards and 26 touchdowns led Cincinnati to use the No. 48 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft on him.

In seven years as a Bengal, Mixon recorded 8,551 total yards and 62 touchdowns. He tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins in Super Bowl LVI.

Cincinnati traded Mixon to Houston last offseason for a 2024 seventh-round pick. It’s safe to say the Texans will consider that draft selection a major ‘W’ as Mixon has been a major reason behind the unit’s great run this year.