Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield says he will be taking a knee during the National Anthem this season. When a fan asked Mayfield if he would kneel, Mayfield responded with his stance.
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"Please tell Browns fans you’re not going to be kneeling this season," the fan commented on Instagram.
"Pull your head out. I absolutely am," Mayfield responded.
Later, Mayfield posted a lengthy statement regarding the situation on his IG Story.
"Everybody so upset about my comment doesn't understand the reasoning behind kneeling in the first place... Nate and Kap came to an agreement that kneeling was the most respectful way to support our military while also standing up for equality," Mayfield wrote. "I have the utmost respect for our military, cops, and people that serve OUR country. It's about equality and everybody being treated the same because we are all human. It's been ignored for too long and that is my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent.
"If I lose fans, that's okay. I've always spoken my mind. And that's from the heart," he added.
Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien recently said that he will also kneel during the anthem with his players.
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Cleveland Browns Add Another Pro Bowl Offensive Weapon
Cleveland Browns agree to four-year deal with Pro Bowl tight end Austin Hooper, making him the league's highest paid TE.
The Cleveland Browns have reportedly reached a deal with former Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper, giving quarterback Baker Mayfield yet another weapon on the offensive side of the ball.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Browns are prepared to make Hooper the highest paid tight end in the league as part of a four-year deal that includes $23M guaranteed over the first two seasons. All in, Hooper stands to make approximately $11M annually.
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Hooper, 25, had a breakout season last year as he racked 75 catches for 787 receiving yards and six touchdowns - all of which were career highs - in 13 games. The Pro Bowl tight end will now join a Cleveland Browns offense that already includes Pro Bowl wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, as well as star running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and fellow tight end David Njoku.
Despite the wealth of talent on offense, Baker Mayfield and the Browns struggled mightily last season, finishing the year with a 6-10 record. As a result, Cleveland owns the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and all signs point to them using that selection on one of the highly touted offensive linemen in this year's class.
Browns QB Baker Mayfield Accused Of Cheating On Wife
Ohio woman alleges that she hooked up with Baker Mayfield in a parking lot one month after he got married.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is accused of cheating on his wife with a 20-year old Ohio woman, who claims she hooked up with the newly married man in the parking lot of a Cheesecake Factory. Kacie Dingess alleges that she first caught Mayfield’s attention when she sent him a Snapchat video from a preseason tailgate party back in August, a month after Baker and Emily Mayfield tied the knot.
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During an interview with Cleveland radio show “Rover’s Morning Glory” earlier this month, Dingess described in detail how she and Mayfield exchanged photos online before ultimately arranging a meet up. She also showed the radio hosts nude photos that Baker allegedly sent her.
“He kept texting me, saying like, ‘Send me pictures’ and blah, blah, blah,” she claimed (H/T US Magazine). “We were texting for a while, and then he was like, ‘OK, come see me.’ So I got in my car and I drove all the way to Westlake, and it was like behind Cheesecake Factory in some weird development parking lot. And so he texted me when I was on my way there and he was like, ‘You have to leave your phone in the car.’”
Once inside Mayfield’s SUV, Dingess claims that the two hopped in the backseat and she performed oral sex on him.
“[When] I left, I was like, ‘Good doing business with you’ — like, joking around,” she recounted (H/T US Magazine). “And he was like, ‘Don’t say that!’ And I was like, ‘I’m just kidding.’ And then I lost my Juul in his car and we had to look for that for a few minutes. He was like, ‘OK, well, drive safe,’ and I was like, ‘OK, see ya.’”
So if this incident did actually occur, why is she coming forward now? She explained to the radio hosts that Mayfield blocked her on twitter, which led her to out him as a cheater.
ESPN Analyst Suspended For Calling Baker Mayfield A Midget
ESPN Cleveland analyst Tony Grossi caught calling Baker Mayfield a midget when he thought they were off the air.
ESPN Cleveland analyst Tony Grossi has been suspended indefinitely following comments he made about Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. During a discussion about the league's QBs, Grossi referred to Mayfield as a “fucking midget” when he thought he was off the air but a hot microphone picked up every word he said.
You can hear the slip up at the tail end of the video embedded below.
Grossi got under Mayfield's skin last October when he questioned the QB about one of the Browns' pointless drives in their loss to the New England Patriots. At the time, Mayfield lashed out, "That’s the dumbest question you could ask. What? Jesus, Tony.”
ESPN Cleveland issued the following statement regarding Grossi's comments on Tuesday.
“The term Tony used is a derogatory slur to describe Little People. Good Karma Brands will not tolerate derogatory language that demeans others or groups of people,” the company said Tuesday in a media release.
“We are addressing this matter with Tony directly, and while we normally do not comment on personnel matters, we do want to share that we have made the decision to immediately and indefinitely suspend Tony Grossi. In addition, we will pursue sensitivity and inclusion training for everyone on our content teams across our company,” Good Karma Brands stated.
For what it's worth, Mayfield is listed as 6'1.
Baker Mayfield Squashes Beef With Rex Ryan, Plans To Stop Replying To Critics
Mayfield is done responding to haters.
Baker Mayfield appeared on ESPN's Get Up on Friday morning with former NFL head coach Rex Ryan to discuss his handling of critics and squash his beef with Ryan.
"It comes back on ... doing my job the best I can, not worrying about the outside stuff, not replying to you. Just doing my job and doing what really matters, being a quarterback," he said.
Mayfield's relationship with critics throughout the season has been tumultuous. Multiple times throughout the season he reacted poorly to negative feedback. In response to Ryan calling him "overrated" after week 3, Mayfield responded, "If you don't wear orange and brown, you don't matter, and Rex Ryan doesn't have any colors right now for a reason."
Mayfield and the Browns struggled throughout the year, finishing with a 6-10 record, something Mayfield describes as a "humbling experience." He threw for 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, which ranks last in touchdown to interception ratio.
"Let's just be honest, I put my foot in my mouth a lot this past year," Mayfield said. "I'm going to internalize that."
Mayfield went on to explain that the focus needs to shift to winning games rather than arguing with the media: "That's what the focus needs to be about, what can I do to help this team win. ... What can I do to make our franchise better, head in the right direction, do the things of why I was picked in that spot [No. 1 overall] and make it happen."
