Baker Mayfield Said He'd Be Fined for Criticizing Officials and He Was Right
By Parker White
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said after last week's game against the Seattle Seahawks that he'd probably be fined for criticizing the officiating.
Well, he was right. According to Ian Rapoport, the NFL has fined Mayfield $12,500 for his public comments about the referees.
#Browns QB Baker Mayfield was fined $12,500 for public comments regarding officiating, source said. He told reporters, "I'll probably be fined for saying this, but it was pretty bad out there.” And he was correct (on the fine).
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 19, 2019
Among his criticisms of the officiating last week, Mayfield harped on two plays in particular, both of which had to deal with wide receiver Jarvis Landry. One of the calls on Landry was an illegal blindside block penalty, while the other was to do with a fumble call where the Browns thought Landry had reached the ball over the goal line before he lost possession.
Mayfield wasn't the only player issued a fine for comments critical of the league's officials, as Rams LB Clay Matthews was also fined $12,500 for a tweet about Al Riveron.
Baker Mayfield fined $12,500 for criticizing officials https://t.co/Rcc4WVTOf3
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 19, 2019
The Browns are on bye this week, so unless Baker wants to have press conference criticizing all the officials from the games this week while he watches from home, he shouldn't receive a fine.
But hey, with Baker, who knows what can happen.