10 years ago, the pairing of Joe Mixon and the Oakland Raiders would be a no-brainer. He’s the most complete tailback in this draft, capable of doing just about everything a team needs him do as a rusher, blocker, returner, and receiver. After losing Latavius Murray to the Minnesota Vikings, the Silver and Black need a new feature back, and Mixon seems like the perfect fit. Unfortunately, he isn’t.
The Oakland Raiders and Joe Mixon
In 1999, Tracey Biletnikoff, daughter of Raider legend, Fred Biletnikoff, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Mohammed Ali. Since then, the Hall of Fame receiver has been hard at work with his project, The Biletnikoff Foundation, which does incredible work for adolescent girls that struggle with substance and domestic abuse.
Biletnikoff has maintained a very strong relationship with owner Mark Davis, as well as the Oakland Raiders as an organization, with Davis even donating $50,000 to the foundation just two years ago. But beyond that, Davis, as well as head coach Jack Del Rio and general manager Reggie McKenzie, have implemented a no-tolerance policy for domestic abuse.
The Oakland Raiders have passed on players like Greg Hardy because of their history with domestic violence. The Raiders believe that it’s possible to build a championship team with championship human beings.
Mixon
In 2014, Joe Mixon clobbered a female co-ed, Amelia Molitor, after she shoved him. He was suspended for the entire season, and issued a very forced, very insincere apology. An insincere apology that was compounded in December of 2015, when he gave the most cringe-worthy interview of all time.
When asked if he was sorry about what happened, he refused to answer. The reporter pushed a little deeper, asking if he had any regrets, which Mixon claimed he didn’t. He went on to say that the media blew the incident, again, where he knocked a girl off her feet with his fist, out of proportion, and that he was a great person.
This wasn’t Mixon’s last issue, however. In late 2016, Mixon received a parking ticket from a female officer. He responded to getting the ticket by ripping it up and throwing it in her face. Then he got back into his vehicle and “inched at the officer with vehicle in drive to intimidate the officer with vehicle”. He was suspended for one game.
Semantics
Before anyone gets started, no, Joe Mixon didn’t commit an act of domestic abuse. Technically, domestic abuse is defined as “a pattern of behavior which involves violence or other abuse by one person against another in a domestic setting, such as in marriage or cohabitation”. Since Mixon and Molitor weren’t in such a setting, it’s not domestic abuse, but assault.
It’s highly unlikely that McKenzie and Davis will alter their positioning on the matter based on semantics. This is a guy that obviously has a very short temper, and it’s not like that’s going to change when someone makes him a millionaire.
Second Chances
Everyone in the world deserves a second chance if they apologize and try to make up for their crime. Even if Joe Mixon didn’t do either of those things, he’s still young, and the dreadful “boys will be boys” excuse is still very effective. Come April, some NFL team will take a chance on Joe Mixon, hoping his on the field ability overcomes his off the field activity.
The Oakland Raiders have done their due diligence with Mixon, interviewing him and giving him a workout, but it’s hard to see them overlooking his off the field activity. In a running back class that is the deepest in years, the Oakland Raiders don’t need to take a chance on a player like Joe Mixon.
