NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Wednesday that Joe Mixon would be off the team if he had punched a woman now instead of 2 1/2 years ago, when he suspended the star running back for a year in a move that has drawn sharp criticism.

Mixon was suspended after punching Oklahoma student Amelia Molitor in 2014. Mixon returned last year and helped the Sooners reach the College Football Playoff, and he has been a standout again this year for No. 7 Oklahoma.

In reversing course, Stoops said he believed that the then-18-year-old Mixon could redeem himself. He said times have changed,...