Former Lake Travis Cavalier and Oklahoma Sooner Baker Mayfield went on Colin Cowherd's Fox Sports show, "The Herd," and defended himself against the host's two main criticisms of the quarterback.
This not the first time Mayfield has been scrutinized by the media, either.
So, the question arises: Is Baker Mayfield a bad teammate? Well, the answer to that question may depend on who you ask.
Cowherd never distinctively called Mayfield a "bad teammate," but the Brown's quarterback certainly took his criticism that way. Cowherd expressed his opinion on the show, stating that Mayfield has shown immature characteristics, that his on-field antics are problematic, and that his "judgment is just a tad off" for a "judgment league", referring to the NFL.
On "The Herd" Thursday, Cowherd confronted Mayfield with two video clips to prove his point.
The first video showed Mayfield running away from his teammates after a touchdown was scored against Ohio State. Cowherd expressed that he did not appreciate Mayfield celebrating without his teammates.
Mayfield, however, quickly fired back with his own perspective of the video.
"Our [Sooners] band is over there, our student section is right there and then straight back to our sideline," Mayfield explained when Cowherd asked where he was running to. "Did you watch the rest of the game?"
"I watched the whole game," Cowherd replied.
"You did? So you saw me celebrate with my teammates like the three touchdowns before that, too," Mayfield asked.
Cowherd did not shy from his displeasure with the video and said he still did not like it.
"You pulled the one clip of me right there running to our fans and people that traveled well to that game, first of all," Mayfield said. "Watch the other touchdowns. I feel like you're going for the fact that I'm not a team guy."
Mayfield brought up the on-field antics and celebrations, something Cowherd is admittedly not a fan of. To be fair, Cowherd has held a no nonsense attitude toward celebrations, such as Antonio Brown's hip trusting.
Cowherd later showed a police surveillance video when Mayfield was arrested in Fayetteville, Arkansas in Feb. 2017. Mayfield had already openly addressed his regrets from the situation in an interview with ESPN's E:60.
However, the Fayetteville incident was the main reason Cowherd considered Mayfield undraftable.
"When you look at that now, are you embarrassed? Are you mad," Cowherd asked.
"Ah, absolutely," Mayfield replied. "There was so much regret about that because if I didn't run, there would have been nothing there. You wouldn't have said that I was undraftable and nobody would have been questioning me about being the next dropout of football. There's a lot of regret to it but at the same time, that was a rude awakening to responsibility and accountability. That was just very eye-opening for me."
Cowherd was thoroughly impressed with Mayfield's answer.
"That's the best answer you've given me in 10 minutes, by far," Cowherd said. "Embarrassed. Learned a lot. That's what I want to hear. [If] I'm a general manager, that's the best 30 seconds of your interview right there. That makes me like you more."
There is no question Mayfield can be a little rough around the edges. But does that make him a bad teammate? Some sports media members have insinuated such accusations, but evidence seems to show one group strongly opposes that idea.
Mayfield's arrest debacle in Feb. 2017 along with his actions in a Nov. 18 matchup with Kansas -- where he grabbed his crotch and cursed at Jayhawks players -- resulted in Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley stripping Mayfield of his captainship and benching him against West Virginia the following week, which was Senior Day. Mayfield was very emotional about the decision.
In an act of solidarity, the Sooners captains supported Mayfield by bringing his jersey out to the coin toss.
If Mayfield was such a bad teammate, then why would this group of men -- whose opinions arguably mean the most in the debate -- support him so feverishly?
Finally, would the Browns use the number one overall pick to select Mayfield if he were such a bad teammate? As previously stated, I guess the answer to this question just depends on who you ask.
