Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon pleads not guilty to misdemeanor assault, suspended by team (UPDATED)

Oklahoma freshman running back Joe Mixon pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of assault during an arraignment on Monday.

Pleas cannot be entered at arraignments, but Mixon waived his right to a formal reading of the charge and made the plea anyway.

After his arraignment, Oklahoma released a statement that Mixon, a former five-star recruit, would be suspended from football activities for the 2014-15 season. He can remain a student at Oklahoma under set conditions that were not specifically outlined in the statement. If he abides by these guidelines, he is still eligible for financial aid.

Mixon is accused of punching a female Oklahoma student in the face at a restaurant on July 25. The victim, 20-year-old Amelia Rae Molitor, told The Oklahoman that Mixon broke her “face in four places.”

According to the police affidavit, Molitor was knocked unconscious and suffered "a fractured jaw, fractured cheek bone, fractured sinus, and fractured orbit which caused a hematoma on the left eye."

The entire incident, which was allegedly brought on by Mixon using a homosexual slur toward the victim’s friend, was caught on surveillance cameras in the restaurant.

Mixon’s attorney, Kevin Finlay, has claimed Mixon acted in self-defense.

Mixon was released on his own recognisance and will return to court on Sept. 23.

For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.

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