WCPO, the E.W. Scripps-owned ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, is urging viewers to boycott the hometown NFL Bengals after it drafted the running back Joe Mixon, who punched a woman in the face in 2014.
“This time the Bengals have gone too far,” the station said in an editorial posted Saturday. The editorial called on fans to give the money they would have spent on Bengals tickets to a nonprofit that works to prevent violence against women instead.
“It's time we as fans tried to teach this team a lesson. We say tried because at this point, we have to wonder if the leaders of this team will EVER get it,” it said.
“Maybe the only way is through the Bengals' pocketbook.”
The Bengals selected Mixon in the second round of the NFL draft Friday, calling attention to punching the woman, shattering bones in her face, while at the University of Oklahoma. Criticism mounted after ESPN released a graphic video of the incident after Mixon was drafted.
In its post, WCPO said in drafting Mixon, it shows "the Bengals apparently don't care" about Mixon's history, which also includes hitting a parking attendent in the face.
“A man hitting a woman is not OK,” WCPO said. “Drafting Mixon says the Bengals think it is.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T7AqYSxZi0[/embed]
