Mixon gives his word, but is that enough?

Incident from 2014 weighs on teams in draft assessment

Would he do it again? That’s an essential question for Joe Mixon, the most polarizing player in next week’s NFL draft.

Mixon broke a woman’s face with a single blow during a gruesome incident captured on video in a pizza parlor shortly after he arrived on the Oklahoma campus as a five-star recruit in 2014.

Now the running back is looking for a job, and he has visited the headquarters of roughly half the teams in the NFL during a whirlwind tour over the last month or so.

At every stop, they wonder whether Mixon can be moved to commit such a violent act again.

“I gave them all my word,” Mixon told USA TODAY Sports this week. “I’ve had no other trouble. But I understand that my circumstances will be different than any other person on the team.”

Mixon, 20, says the right things. He’s learned his lesson, he insists, and grown since the incident.

But now comes the prospect of a team drafting a player with firstround talent, whose selection — maybe in the second round, maybe lower — will be accompanied by a haunting video. Imagine the headlines. Some teams won’t consider drafting Mixon, taking him completely off their board with a red flag for character. While a majority of team decision-makers proclaimed to have an open mind when I asked about their view of Mixon’s issues, at least three teams have indicated they won’t touch him because of the violent incident.

This image problem is part of the price Mixon is paying, and scrutiny moving forward adds layers to that.

Asked about the hit on his draft stock, Mixon said, “I’m not a GM, owner or coach. I worry about what I can control.”

Mixon was prohibited from attending the NFL scouting combine because of the league’s policy against inviting players who have been involved in violent acts.

For Mixon, not attending the combine — with an interview cycle for players and teams that can be compared to speed dating — might work to his advantage. His visits to the teams have afforded more time for in-depth interviews needed to weigh his case.

“It has given me opportunities for them to get to know me,” Mixon said. “I’ve been honest about whatever they’ve asked and told the truth. They want to hear it from my mouth and know I’m sincere.”

Mixon said he’s faced situations in which insults were hurled at him.

“I’ve been tested,” he said, “but when things got heated, I walked away.”

Any decision to draft Mixon will surely require approval from ownership, given the public relations baggage that would come with him.

Asked how many owners he met with during his tour, Mixon said, “Pretty much every team. Except the Green Bay Packers. They’re community-owned.”

Where Mixon will land — not only with regards to location, but also the area of the draft where he is chosen — will be one of the most intriguing subplots of the draft. According to one team’s head coach, Mixon, who amassed 2,921 yards from scrimmage and 26 touchdowns in two seasons at OU, won’t last beyond the second round.

Gil Brandt, the former NFL personnel guru, maintains that, without the off-the-field concerns, Mixon would rate among the top 20 players in the draft. Yet when Brandt released his “Hot 150” ranking of prospects this week on NFL .com, Mixon wasn’t on the list.

“He’s a very talented player, no qualms about it,” Brandt told USA TODAY Sports. “But because of what took place, I wouldn’t draft him.”

Brandt ignited a buzz Wednesday when he mentioned on Pro

Football Talk Live that Mixon was involved in another physical altercation involving a female, as a student at Freedom High School in Oakley, Calif. Brandt repeated the claims of a lawyer representing the victim in the Oklahoma incident in a civil suit, which were based on a social media post from the high school girl’s father from several years ago that has been recanted. No charges stemmed from any high school incident involving Mixon.

Mixon’s agent, Peter Schaffer, provided USA TODAY Sports the statement that the father, Anthony Hernandez, gave to Mixon’s attorneys March 30 that indicated he was mistaken about Mixon’s involvement and overreacted in his initial post. Still, the timing is puzzling, years after the alleged high school incident.

Also puzzling: What to make of the Oakland Raiders having Mixon in for a visit?

Raiders owner Mark Davis has taken a strong public stance against domestic violence and contended that his team won’t take on players who have committed violence against women.

We’ll see. The Raiders are in the market for a running back. And it’s a league of second chances.

Ask Andy Reid, who once gave Michael Vick an NFL lifeline after the quarterback finished his sentence for a dogfighting conviction.

Last year, Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs drafted receiver-returner Tyreek Hill in the fifth round amid much controversy. Hill, who finished his college career at Alabama State, was kicked out of Oklahoma State after pleading guilty to a 2014 incident in which he kicked and punched his pregnant girlfriend. He is now on probation and, in addition to a phenomenal rookie season, hasn’t had any off-the-field issues.

“If you’ve been in trouble and you handle yourself the right way, positive things can happen for you,” Reid said recently when asked how he’d advise players with red flags. “I mean, we’re in America, and America is forgiving to a point, but you can’t go backwards, you’ve got to stay forward.”

Which is only part of the challenge for Mixon.

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