Thought of the Day: 10 years from now, will Mixon still be vilified?

[*ochocincos*]

In practically every national media article related to the Bengals since being drafted, Joe Mixon's incident is brought up.
However, since becoming a Bengal, he's been a model citizen, often going the extra mile to interact with fans and signing autographs after other Bengals have left.
So I started to wonder what the perception of him will be if he stays on this path to redeem himself? Will most people forgive/forget what he did as a teenager and see a story of redemption? Or will they continue to vilify him (and the Bengals organization itself) for that infamous incident?

Your thoughts?

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

Some will......others will forgive.  Personally, if he continues down his current path, keeping the humility and remorse he has shown since....count me as one who will forgive.  Some people just hold grudges......it's not healthy, I have found from experience, I hate to admit.

[treee]

It'll be one of those things where even the slightest misgivings will prompt the media to drudge up the past. Be it a speeding ticket or a contract disagreement. Yea, it'll always be there, but it'll wane over time if he truly puts in the effort.

[depthchart]

(08-09-2017, 04:28 PM)ochocincos Wrote: In practically every national media article related to the Bengals since being drafted, Joe Mixon's incident is brought up.
However, since becoming a Bengal, he's been a model citizen, often going the extra mile to interact with fans and signing autographs after other Bengals have left.
So I started to wonder what the perception of him will be if he stays on this path to redeem himself? Will most people forgive/forget what he did as a teenager and see a story of redemption? Or will they continue to vilify him (and the Bengals organization itself) for that infamous incident?

Your thoughts?

I see him staying out of trouble and learning from the embarrassing Media Storm that he was faced with.

His play on the field should also help his cause. He reminds me of Ladainian Tomlinson when I watch him play. If he can be anywhere close to performing like Tomlinson then he's a STAR. Multiple Pro Bowler with high impact Fantasy value once Hill leaves. If he does this, his reputation changes for the better automatically in the eyes of many NFL and Fantasy fans. He seems smart enough to get it and stay out of trouble, but at the very least the woman hitting incident will always be mentioned. Could easily be getting mentioned with Ezekiel, Le'veon & David Johnson within a few years as one of the Best backs in the NFL in my opinion. A Top 10 back to me seems likely with a good chance of cracking the Top 5 someday.

[Pat5775]

I've already forgiven him. We all do dumb things when we're young, and this is obviously one of the dumbest things ever. But all signs point to it being an isolated incident. He seems to show genuine remorse over it and has been nothing but great since being drafted (aside from hanging out with Pacman  ).

I guess I sympathize with him because when I was I growing up I was very small for my age. As a result of my minuscule stature and extremely shy nature I was bullied constantly. Once I entered my early teen years I started lifting and finally hit a growth spurt. Not long after that, I started fighting back. One day some punk cold-cocked me when my back was turned and something snapped. I lost it and beat the hell out of him. I had 8 fights before I was 18 and every single one of them involved me being hit first (and usually without warning). If I was still coherent after that initial hit, I blacked out and destroyed whoever tried to start with me (although a few times I was knocked down and got my head pounded). 

Anyway, it became second nature for me to strike back and strike hard when hit. Because of that, I have little doubt my 18 year old self would have done the same thing Mixon did in that scenario. It never mattered who hit me or how hard I was hit, I always reacted with the hardest punch I could muster, without even thinking about it. It became a reflex, and lucky for me no woman ever slapped me. But if she had... Well you see where I'm going with this. 

I realize Mixon had a different upbringing than me and he likely was never bullied. But that killer instinct is very real and very hard to control. Not saying it's right and I'm certainly not trying to justify what Mixon did... Just saying, I understand why he did what he did. The reaction to being hit is hard to explain unless you've been there. Again, I don't condone it, and I hope none of you take it that way.

Now, at 28, I'm completely different. I think before I act. I haven't been in a fight since 2010 (a small scuffle with a Steeler fan at a sports by... Called my girlfriend a C U Next Tuesday, I floored him and made him cry  )   I've grown up and learned that every action has consequences. I'm sure Mixon has too.

[XenoMorph]

(08-09-2017, 04:28 PM)ochocincos Wrote: In practically every national media article related to the Bengals since being drafted, Joe Mixon's incident is brought up.
However, since becoming a Bengal, he's been a model citizen, often going the extra mile to interact with fans and signing autographs after other Bengals have left.
So I started to wonder what the perception of him will be if he stays on this path to redeem himself? Will most people forgive/forget what he did as a teenager and see a story of redemption? Or will they continue to vilify him (and the Bengals organization itself) for that infamous incident?

Your thoughts?

Depends...  If he runs us to the Superbowl...    He might be a Statue.


The young lady involved has forgiven him and went their separate ways... If she can get over what happened... no one else has any reason to be upset about it. except mixon himself @ himself

Really that's about the bottom line of the situation.

[*ochocincos*]

(08-09-2017, 05:12 PM)depthchart Wrote: I see him staying out of trouble and learning from the embarrassing Media Storm that he was faced with.

His play on the field should also help his cause. He reminds me of Ladainian Tomlinson when I watch him play. If he can be anywhere close to performing like Tomlinson then he's a STAR. Multiple Pro Bowler with high impact Fantasy value once Hill leaves. If he does this, his reputation changes for the better automatically in the eyes of many NFL and Fantasy fans. He seems smart enough to get it and stay out of trouble, but at the very least the woman hitting incident will always be mentioned. Could easily be getting mentioned with Ezekiel, Le'veon & David Johnson within a few years as one of the Best backs in the NFL in my opinion. A Top 10 back to me seems likely with a good chance of cracking the Top 5 someday.

That's why I didn't even bring that part up in my original post.
How well or poor a person is at his or her job shouldn't determine whether they are a good person or bad person.
But yes, I agree that most national people will act like nothing ever happened if he's a star, yet bring it up constantly if he struggles on or off the field.

[Au165]

(08-09-2017, 04:28 PM)ochocincos Wrote: In practically every national media article related to the Bengals since being drafted, Joe Mixon's incident is brought up.
However, since becoming a Bengal, he's been a model citizen, often going the extra mile to interact with fans and signing autographs after other Bengals have left.
So I started to wonder what the perception of him will be if he stays on this path to redeem himself? Will most people forgive/forget what he did as a teenager and see a story of redemption? Or will they continue to vilify him (and the Bengals organization itself) for that infamous incident?

Your thoughts?

No, people tend to forget. Brandon Marshal has had around 9 domestic violence claims made against him but people forget if you are a winner. Hell, many forget that it was actually Chad Johnson head butting his wife requiring her to get stitches that got him cut in Miami. A new controversy will come about before the season ends, and as long as Mixon stays clean no one will really even talk about it.

[BFritz21]

Ray Lewis killed two people and he's one of the most famous players of all-time and still involved as an analyst and in commercials and things. Winning cures all.

Now, since we're the league's whipping boy, if we suck and he's an arrogant dick on the field, then they'd bring it up as a "pattern of behavior."

[depthchart]

(08-10-2017, 09:20 AM)ochocincos Wrote: That's why I didn't even bring that part up in my original post.
How well or poor a person is at his or her job shouldn't determine whether they are a good person or bad person.
But yes, I agree that most national people will act like nothing ever happened if he's a star, yet bring it up constantly if he struggles on or off the field.

The "How he performs" part could tangent off in hard to predict ways.

Say he turns out to be a DUD like 3rd overall pick in the 1st round Trent Richardson yet stays out of trouble.

Do people pile on the woman hitting incident more because he performs like a DUD or does he just get "forgotten" ?

Being a Star Magnifies his Media attention which in turn could lead to the incident being reported more than if he is a "forgotten" DUD.

His attitude and how he carries himself may matter most.

Does he have that Lawrence Phillip's style look in his face that he is always moments away from getting into trouble or does he give off a more pleasant, grown up aura ?

He has some control over how well it plays out.

[Big Boss]

If he stays out of trouble for the next couple of years it'll become a non-story. He wasn't the first problem player to enter the league and he won't be the last.

[THE PISTONS]

I think it will be forgotten just like Kobe Bryant and Roethlisberger. He's new to the NFL so this story is reaching new audiences. It will grow old at some point.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(08-10-2017, 09:30 AM)Au165 Wrote: No, people tend to forget. Brandon Marshal has had around 9 domestic violence claims made against him but people forget if you are a winner. Hell, many forget that it was actually Chad Johnson head butting his wife requiring her to get stitches that got him cut in Miami. A new controversy will come about before the season ends, and as long as Mixon stays clean no one will really even talk about it.

The thing about Marshall is, it was discovered that he had a mental disorder, and since he has gotten treatment....the outbursts have gone away.

[grampahol]

It's already a non-story to me. No team ever drafted a player just because they don't hit girls.. Nobody ever gets offered a big dollar contract to play football only for being a pillar of the community and not being able to play football. It doesn't work like that. 
Heck, if the president of the nation can openly brag about sexual assault why would anyone even care what a football player did 3-4 years ago? It's comparing apples to shower curtain rods.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(08-09-2017, 04:28 PM)ochocincos Wrote: In practically every national media article related to the Bengals since being drafted, Joe Mixon's incident is brought up.
However, since becoming a Bengal, he's been a model citizen, often going the extra mile to interact with fans and signing autographs after other Bengals have left.
So I started to wonder what the perception of him will be if he stays on this path to redeem himself? Will most people forgive/forget what he did as a teenager and see a story of redemption? Or will they continue to vilify him (and the Bengals organization itself) for that infamous incident?

Your thoughts?

If he stays on this path i definately forgive him and the people that matter will.

As Wyche said though, some never will forgive this even if it was a one time incident. It was rough watching that vid.

There are always going to be some people also that will always label us falsely as a thug team.

[Brownshoe]

10 years from now? We might not even know who Mixon is 10 years from now. It all depends on how he plays and what he does off the field, but it will always be there to haunt him. If he plays very well, and stays out of trouble (even the small BS) then he will be a "redemption story". If he plays poorly then no one will remember him. If he plays well, but has even small off the field (or on the field) issues then he will touted as a villain; especially since he's a Bengal.

[Au165]

(08-10-2017, 01:02 PM)Wyche Wrote: The thing about Marshall is, it was discovered that he had a mental disorder, and since he has gotten treatment....the outbursts have gone away.

Does one not seek help after beating ones wife the 3rd or 4th time? To let it get to 9 times, basically disallows the mental health excuse.

[jj22]

Yes he will. Mixon is a Bengal. So we'll get over it (many has already). But we still attack Big Ben, R. Lewis etc. That's what fans do. And God forbid (I shouldn't say that because I'd still take it) we make the Superbowl and he shines. That'll cause a whole new round of attacks from the national media.

[*rfaulk34*]

(08-10-2017, 10:44 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: Ray Lewis killed two people and he's one of the most famous players of all-time and still involved as an analyst and in commercials and things. Winning cures all.

Now, since we're the league's whipping boy, if we suck and he's an arrogant dick on the field, then they'd bring it up as a "pattern of behavior."

Exactly.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(08-10-2017, 02:07 PM)Au165 Wrote: Does one not seek help after beating ones wife the 3rd or 4th time? To let it get to 9 times, basically disallows the mental health excuse.

Could be, sure.....but it is true that Personality Disorder is not your run of the mill anxiety or depression.....he's been scandal free since getting treatment and staying on his meds.