With the NFL Draft rapidly approaching, teams continue to do their due diligence on players they are about to pay millions of dollars to. No one is being more scrutinized than Joe Mixon.
According to NFL.com Gil Brandt, who went on PFT Live on Wednesday, Mixon isn’t worth the trouble, saying, “I just wouldn’t draft him. His problems started back in high school.”
Those “high school problems” Brandt is referring to stems from when a man named Anthony Hernandez alleged that Mixon punched his daughter in high school.
Hernandez said in a report read by Amelia Molitor’s lawyer, “I know for a fact he threw my daughter to the ground and hit her. I went to the school and . . . they hid him in the office. He got no punishment. The police even came. I was escorted off the campus as if I did something wrong. These are simply the facts, he’s a woman beater.”
That led to this tweet from Ian Rapoport.
I’ve spoken to two teams that are currently looking into this specific incident. https://t.co/SwpcKbPvss
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 19, 2017
It’s been well reported that Mixon was previously charged with a misdemeanor and placed on probation after he punched Amelia Molitor in July 2014, breaking her jaw and cheekbone.
As for this case from high school, Mixon was not charged in that alleged incident and has denied hitting any other women.
UPDATE: The claims have been recanted by Mr. Hernandez in a statement.
“My daughter went to Freedom High School with Joe, and they have been friends for much of their lives. Once, when they were in school together, my daughter had a minor disagreement with some of her classmates that got blown out of proportion. Like any father would, I reacted emotionally. Unfortunately, I did so before I had all the facts. Now, having talked to my daughter and investigated the whole story, I realize that I was mistaken about Joe’s involvement. I definitely overreacted, and I regret that my words might have given some people the wrong impression about Joe. I know that Joe did not hurt my daughter, did not intend to, and would not do so.
“Joe and my daughter are still good friends. Joe is a great kid with a bright future in front of him, and he is welcome in my home anytime.”
Regardless, there’s no more polarizing prospect in this year’s NFL draft than Joe Mixon. He clearly has the physical skills to play at a high level in the NFL, it’s just matter of what teams ultimately think of his off-field issues.
I still think he ends up being drafted late in the first round.
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