Stoops, Castiglione say Joe Mixon shouldn't have been in pep rally
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and athletic director Joe Castiglione both said that suspended freshman running back Joe Mixon should not have participated in a recent pep rally with teammates.
Mixon is suspended for the 2014 season from all team activities after he pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge for punching a female student in the face. Mixon does not currently have a roster spot on the team but is allowed to take classes at the school.
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The official Oklahoma Athletics Twitter account posted a photo last week showing Mixon with teammates on a volleyball court during a pep rally. After the rally, an OU spokesman said the event wasn't required and therefore not a team activity, something Stoops disagreed with.
“Even though that wasn’t a mandatory team event, a formal team event,” Stoops said, according to Tulsa World. “It was poor judgment. He shouldn’t have been there.”
Castiglione said Mixon being at the event was OK, but that the running back shouldn't have been on the floor with the other players.
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According to Tulsa World, multiple reporters said Mixon came to the rally from practice and returned to watch the team run drills afterwards as well. Stoops denied this, saying, "He has not attended practice in the 50 that we’ve had. He hasn’t. And he hasn’t attended any team events.”
The Sooners play at West Virginia on Saturday.
- Molly Geary
