Baker Mayfield had a rotten night in San Francisco. It turns out his bad Monday night game started off on the wrong foot even before the opening kickoff.
49ers cornerback Richard Sherman took issue with the Browns QB refusing to shake hands before the game as the captains gathered for the coin toss. Sherman, one of the most respected players around the league, wasn’t shy about letting everyone know how he felt Mayfield was wrong.
“What’s amazing, and annoying, was him not shaking hands at the beginning,” Sherman said via Michael Silver of NFL.com. “That’s some college (expletive). It’s ridiculous. We’re all trying to get psyched up, but shaking hands with your opponent — that’s NFL etiquette. And when you pull bush-league stuff, that’s disrespectful to the game. And believe me, that’s gonna get us fired up.”
The veteran was clearly miffed by Mayfield’s pregame lack of cordiality.
“Respect the game,” Silver reports Sherman as saying. “You can have rivals, but pay your respect in that moment — especially when you’re young.”
He contrasted Mayfield with a more successful young QB, Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs.
“He hasn’t earned anything in this league,” Sherman said of Mayfield. “How many games has he won? He’s acting like he was the MVP last year. If Mahomes did that, it would be one thing. But he would never do that, because he has too much respect for the game.”
It’s an interesting change for Mayfield, who was miffed when Kansas players refused to shake his hand before a game while he was at Oklahoma. It’s an antic that needs to end, especially if it’s motivating great players like Sherman even more to show Mayfield up.
