It's official: Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and likely first-round selection Baker Mayfield will be allowed to participate in the upcoming NFL combine in Indianapolis, according to a league spokesperson.
Considering his talent and production at Oklahoma, Mayfield will likely be invited. The only reason his attendance was ever in doubt was because of his arrest in Arkansas late last February.
Mayfield told officers he was trying to break up an argument, but the officers then said that he "was yelling profanities and causing a scene." Mayfield was then tackled and forced into handcuffs.
Ultimately, he was arrested and charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. As part of a plea in June, the resisting arrest charge was dropped in exchange for Mayfield's guilty plea to all three charges. The deal did not require any jail time, but he was fined hundreds of dollars.
In 2016, the NFL created a policy that barred players convicted of misdemeanors and felonies from participating in the NFL combine.
In the statement this morning, though, the NFL spokesperson said there was "no issue that would preclude him from attending." In all likelihood, the reason for that comment is because Mayfield's incident did not include violence.
Perhaps the most notable example of this policy in action is the incident involving Mayfield's former Sooners' teammate Joe Mixon. The talented running back was projected to be a late first-round selection. But once the video of Mixon physically assaulting his girlfriend during their freshman year went public, he was not allowed to attend the combine.
Mayfield is set to participate in the upcoming Senior Bowl at the end of this month.
