The rookie quarterback has always gotten a pass.
Less than a year before Baker Mayfield became the No. 1 overall Draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, he was arrested for running from the police in a drunken stupor that left him with a speed knot and some embarrassment.
As a Heisman Trophy candidate for Oklahoma, his transgressions were reasoned away as “college kid stuff.”
He also grabbed his crotch and yelled expletives to Kansas fans after a nationally televised game.
Despite all of that, the controversial Mayfield got the white privilege pass. The Cleveland Browns chose him No. 1 overall. They gave him the reigns of the franchise after going 1-31 the last two seasons with head coach Hue Jackson at the helm.
Jackson, who was since fired, is now with the Cincinnati Bengals as an assistant coach. And Mayfield is thriving as a rookie starter after his four TD outing on Sunday.
But Mayfield seems to be the same kid from college as far as having class goes.
Mayfield showed his ex-coach little to no love when he left the field after stomping out the Bengals on Sunday. In a post-game interview, Mayfield ripped Jackson for getting fired and taking a job with their division-rival. He called his former coach fake and established the fact that they are now enemies.
Former NFL player Damien Woody shot back at Mayfield in Jackson’s defense and said that he “needs to grow up.”
To @bakermayfield and all his fanboys out there….. pic.twitter.com/Bcdpd6q8YJ
— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) November 26, 2018
“This is pro football,” Woody, the two-time Super Bowl champion said. “People get fired. This whole comment shows how immature Baker is.”
Woody said Mayfield was out of line for counting Hue’s coins and doesn’t understand the way business works. He also reminded everyone that Mayfield transferred from Texas Tech to play at Oklahoma, a rival of the Red Raiders in the Big 12 Conference.
Mayfield shot back on Instagram, claiming it’s not the same situation.
Baker Mayfield rips Hue Jackson as 'fake' after media questions transfer to Oklahoma from Texas Tech – https://t.co/cNnlnWjIZJ https://t.co/2vuvDppRZZ pic.twitter.com/j8IIm06srp
— Fake News News 24/7 (@FakeNewsNews247) November 27, 2018
Mayfield hasn’t strayed that far from his old personality. He still seems to desire the spotlight a little too much and says things without thinking.
If he was a Black quarterback, do you think the media would take as kindly to his antics? Or would they criticize them with the same fervor they do Cam Newton’s cockiness or Odell Beckham Jr.’s flamboyance?
Hue Jackson taking an assistant coach’s job with the Bengals after being fired has nothing to do with his relationship with Mayfield. It’s not like Jackson left Cleveland to go to Cincinnati. He was fired.
Also, this isn’t college football. Pro football is a business. You might find yourself traded or getting an offer you can’t refuse in free agency by a team who you once hated.
That’s how business works. I think Mayfield just wanted to have something negative to say about Jackson and has been harboring these negative thoughts for a long time.
Mayfield felt like he should have started from Week 1 over Tyrod Taylor. And when he got the chance, he certainly proved to be worthy.
He’s a brash competitor and cocky. And he’s holding a grudge against Jackson. It was kind of classless what Mayfield did, but some “fan boys” will undoubtedly label it as being competitive.
After all, Mayfield has always gotten a pass.
