Nobody involved in the viral bathroom fight between a University of Oklahoma football player and a man with MMA training will face charges.
The Norman (Okla.) Police Department announced Thursday that it completed its investigation into the Feb. 13 incident, which went viral on social media, and submitted its findings – investigative reports, videos, witness statements and other documents – to the Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office on March 9.
District attorney Greg Mashburn has decided not to pursue criminal charges, determining the altercation was “a mutual combat situation.”
“We have carefully considered the entirety of the circumstances surrounding the incident including a previous altercation between the parties and the actions that led up to the physical fight caught on camera by a bystander,” Mashburn said in a statement. “My office has decided that no criminal charges are appropriate as this appears to be a mutual combat situation in which both parties voluntarily engaged in a fist fight.”
The fight was between Sooners wide receiver Spencer Jones and Walker Brown, an OU student with MMA training. It took place inside the bathroom of campus bar Logie’s On The Corner and was captured on video, which quickly went viral. The video shows Brown and Jones exchange words while a man behind Jones, presumably a friend or associate, steps forward and shoves Brown. Wiping blood from his nose, Brown gives a quick glance to a man standing next to him, later identified as his brother, Braden Brown. He then winds up and punches Jones in the face. From there, a melee between all four men breaks out.
Before long, Brown takes down Jones, takes his back, and lands some punches. His brother, Braden, slams Jones’ friend into the wall and begins pummeling with punches. The video ends with all four men on the ground.
Was it really power hour if you didn’t get in a fight on the piss-soaked bathroom floor? pic.twitter.com/lWombEtc3g
— Old Row Oklahoma (@OldRowSooners) February 20, 2021
In a previous statement, Walker Brown said “there was something that occurred prior to the start of the video as my nose doesn’t bleed for no reason.” His attorney, Steve Sice, said Brown was “was legally justified in defending himself” because of an “original assault and battery suffered by Mr. Brown at the hands of Mr. Jones” not shown in the video.
Brown was injured in the fight, including a torn bicep, Sice said. Jones, meanwhile, underwent a four-hour surgery to repair a broken left orbital socket, according to The Athletic.
A GoFundMe page was created last month to help Brown with attorney fees and medical bills. As of Thursday, it had raised more than $66,000.
