You just had a feeling something like this was going to happen.
As you are well aware, Florida State dismissed touted 2015 quarterback signee De’Andre Johnson after video of him punching a woman in the face surfaced. Some in the media had compared the situation to one at Oklahoma, with the obvious difference being that touted 2014 signee Joe Mixon was suspended for one season for doing the exact same thing as Johnson, punching a woman in the face at a bar.
The fact that the Sooners allowed Mixon to return is something that’s not sitting well with a former OU great, especially in light of FSU’s handling of Johnson as well as how the university handled a recent fraternity hubbub that drew national headlines. From Tony Casillas’ Facebook rant he posted on Twitter:
The biggest difference between the Mixon and Johnson cases? Johnson’s video was released, leaving FSU with absolutely no choice but to boot him from the team. While Mixon’s video was viewed by select members of the media, it was never released publicly per the order of the judge presiding over the case.
Would OU’s decision have been different if the video had seen the light of day? It’s highly likely it would’ve as the calls from fans and the media would’ve been extremely loud and forceful based on the fact that the woman he punched suffered four broken bones in her face as a result of the punch. Should it have made a difference that the public didn’t see it? That’s for the readers to decide, although I’ll subscribe to The Ol’ Ball Coach’s theory when it comes to any man who lays his hands on a woman.
One final note on one similarity between the two cases: in both instances, the lawyers for Mixon and Johnson went public in stating that the punches thrown by their respective clients were preceded by racial slurs being lobbed at the players by the female victims.
