OU Football: Judge Rules Not To Release Joe Mixon Tape

On Thursday morning, a judge ruled not to release the surveillance footage of Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon punching a female student (breaking her jaw, cheekbone, nose and fracturing an orbital bone near her left eye) in 2014 as a part of the court record.

Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman stated that the tape will remain in the custody of the City of Norman for preservation.

Balkman made the decision two days after the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals ruled for the footage to be public record.

Because the video was not submitted as evidence by either party, Balkman stated that it didn’t qualify as court record.

At the moment, it has not yet been determined if the tape will ever be released. It must first be decided, via appeals court ruling, if the video is a public record in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

OU President David Boren released the following statement regarding the incident:

"At the University of Oklahoma, we feel strongly about setting the proper standards of conduct. Joe Mixon has received punishment for what he has done. At the same time, we are an educational institution, where we hope that young people will learn from their mistakes and chart a better future course. Joe has met all of the conditions of his punishment, which include not playing on the football team for one year and maintaining good grades and a clean record of behavior."

In October 2014, Mixon entered an Alford plea to a misdemeanor assault charge and received a one-year deferred sentence. 

After the incident, Mixon was suspended from the football team for a year and completed 100 hours of community service and underwent counseling before returning for the 2015 season where he rushed for 753 yards and seven touchdowns, helping the Sooners to a Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff.