NORMAN — University of Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon issued an apology Tuesday evening to the woman he punched at a Campus Corner restaurant in 2014.

"For the last two years, my lawyers have advised me against speaking publicly about an incident that occurred very shortly after I arrived in Norman," Mixon wrote in a statement sent to The Oklahoman. "Today, I want to say what everyone deserves to hear from me about this matter: I am sorry."

Mixon had turned 18 just hours before the punch was thrown. The California native wrote that he was far away from home for the first time, trying to get to know his new teammates.

"I was not drinking; I have never had a drink in my life. At the end of the night, a group of apparently drunk people started harassing us. Some of my teammates were wise enough to leave. I did not, and I am sorry."