The Bengals organization issued a statement at the time the story broke:
“The Club is aware misdemeanor charges hve been raised against Joe Mixon. The club is ivetsigating the situation and will not comment further at this time.”
This is nothing new for Cincinnati, who have long been a franchise that has been known for off-the-field issues over the past two decades. That list includes such notables as running back Cedric Benson, defensive lineman Tank Johnson, linebacker Udell Thurman, and wide receiver Chris Henry, just to name a few.
That doesn’t include former superstar cornerback Adam ‘Pac-Man’ Jones, who has put up hall of fame-type numbers in terms of arrests and incidents. Some seasons they even had more total arrests as a team than total victories. Far too often, it’s been easy to see why this team not only wears orange… but stripes, as well.
It’s also not the first run-in with the law for Joe Mixon, either.
In 2014, Joe Mixon punched a female Oklahoma student in the face, an attack captured on surveillance video. He was suspended from the football team for a year and entered an Alford plea. That means the defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges there’s evidence for a conviction.
He received a deferred sentence, was ordered to perform community service, and had to undergo counseling. The incident caused Mixon to fall in the NFL Draft. Several teams openly stated that they passed on him because of concerns about his character. Because of that, the former Oklahoma Sooner ended up going in the second round in 2017.
Mixon ran for 814 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. He also had 60 receptions for 441 yards, both career highs, and two touchdowns. The steady ball carrier has amassed 5,378 yards and 40 TDs in his six-year career in Cincinnati.
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