Chomps
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- Mar 18, 2019
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Baker Mayfield‘s midweek press conferences have become appointment viewing, listening, and/or reading.
This week, he walked off after his latest skirmish with veteran Browns reporter Tony Grossi. Last week, Mayfield basically dared the league to fine him for comments critical of officiating, when he complained about a fine that had recently been imposed on him for criticizing officiating.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the league did not fine Mayfield a second time.
“I would not say it was complaining when it was blatantly obvious,” Mayfield said last Wednesday. “I would say that is just stating facts. Freedom of speech, I thought that is OK, but I get fined for it. That is the league. That is what they do. They fine you for some ridiculous things. It is just how it is. There is a reason everybody is talking about it. It is not just me. It goes for every team. With how our team is, we are not going to get a lot of calls and we know that. Especially going into this week, there is no time to worry about it and no time to stress about it. Just play our game. . . .
“I knew I was going to get fined, but it needs to be said. People have to be held accountable for their job. When it affects my job, it sucks because it is not in my control.”
As the league tries to improve the perception of officiating by stifling dissent from those most directly affected by bad calls, there’s a balance to strike. Every instance of fining a player makes the league seem like it’s trying to hide something, so the league needs to choose wisely when doing so.
Which of course leads to inconsistent application of the rules. Which aptly summarizes the current problems with officiating.