Eagles weigh Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon's history of violence against women

The Eagles will have a decision to make about Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon. By talent alone, Mixon is the rare rusher who could be worthy of a first-round selection. But Mixon might be available to teams on the second or third day of the draft because of a 2014 arrest for punching a female student in the face and graphic video released of the incident in December.

The Eagles, along with other NFL teams, must decide if they want Mixon on their roster.

"I don't want to talk about a specific player," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said at the league meetings last week. "Of course, I know all about situations like that. I'll say this: First of all, we've been an organization that's given players a second chance. However, we've also been a organization that really values character."

It's a decision that will likely require Lurie's approval. Lurie did not want to discuss Mixon specifically because he did not want to "telegraph what we're doing at any position in the draft."

Other teams have been explicit about their intentions. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told the Boston Herald, "For me, personally, I believe that privilege [of playing in the NFL] is lost for men who have a history of abusing women," and the newspaper reported that the Patriots would not have Mixon on their draft board.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson said at the combine that every player is viewed on case-by-case basis, and there is no transgression that would categorically eliminate a player from consideration. Lurie reiterated this approach last week, and it sounds like the Eagles are at the very least doing their homework on Mixon.

"Every player's situation, without getting into any specific player, is on a case-by-case basis," Lurie said. "You've got to do your due diligence in this world. It's not fair to the organization or the player to not have all the information. And that's where we dig. And we dig a lot. And try to make the soundest decision."

Mixon was suspended for one season and returned to the team in 2015. He entered a plea for a misdemeanor and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and undergo counseling. He did not serve prison time.

In an Oklahoma uniform, Mixon rushed for 2,027 yards on 300 carries in two seasons - 6.76 yards per carry - and also caught 65 passes for 894 yards. He's 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, and could bolster an Eagles backfield that needs help. But selecting Mixon has implications beyond simply adding a rookie. They would also endure the public relations fallout that will likely include the graphic video in living rooms throughout the Philadelphia region.

When asked to evaluate Mixon purely as a player and dismissing the off-field considerations, Pederson said he's a "talented player, very explosive." Pederson complimented Mixon's hands out of the backfield and said Mixon stacks up with the other running backs in a draft class that Howie Roseman called "historical" at the position because of the depth.

"We're always trying to better our roster," Pederson said when asked if he'd feel comfortable having Mixon on his roster. "I've said that a bunch. With a player like that, those are things that, we do our homework on these players, and you want to make sure it's the right fit for any team, not only our team. He's an explosive player, he's dynamic, and someone will give him an opportunity."

Mixon was not invited to the NFL combine because of his arrest, but the Eagles have other avenues for research. The Eagles were represented at Oklahoma's Pro Day, and Howie Roseman said in a radio interview with 97.5 The Fanatic last month that vice president of team security Dom DiSandro is "unbelievable" at finding information, learning about a player's issues and incidents, and discovering the truth.

Pederson said "it's a fine line" when weighing talent against character. But the coach said he loves having "character people" and called it "the wave of the future" because teams need to find players who have a passion about being "good, upstanding men" to "cultivate the culture."

Lurie shared the example of the research and consideration before the Eagles signed Michael Vick. He was not comparing violence against dogs to violence against women, but rather the complexities of these decisions.

"It took a lot of searching my own values and family, love of dogs, and all that, but really try to take it on a case-by-case basis," Lurie said. "And that's what we do. So I'll naturally talk to Howie, Joe [Douglas], Don Smolenski. We'll discuss every situation like that. And I listen. I'm more of a listener and asker of questions. In the end, of course, it's my decision if we're going to sign Michael Vick or not."

One of the NFL's best rookies last season was Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. He scored 12 total touchdowns and was a boon as a fifth-round pick. But the reason he slipped that far in the draft was because of a domestic violence incident in college. His coach is Andy Reid, the long-time Eagles coach who was Pederson's former boss and worked closely with Lurie and Roseman.

"The thing we did was we tried to do as much homework as we could to see if there was a second chance available there, that we possibly would give him that," said Reid, who added he doesn't know Mixon. "I've had players who I've done that with. My wife's very involved in that part of things . . . all the spousal abuse, so I talked to her about that situation when we had Tyreek. As long as they're working toward bettering themselves and they've got some type of foundation there, you can possibly take that chance."

The Eagles will have a similar decision to make. And the outcome determines whether they're answering similar questions about Mixon next spring.