Baker Mayfield Defends Flag-Planting Tradition in College Football, Says ‘Let the Boys Play’
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield has developed a reputation for being a hard-nosed player and a bit of a trash-talker when he was slinging the pill at the University of Oklahoma on his way to a Heisman Trophy. Mayfield may have been the one to start the flag-planting tradition when he took the Sooners’ flag and put it into the ground in the middle of Ohio State’s field in 2017 after a win.
After a swath of fights over players trying to plant flags on their opponents’ fields, Mayfield defended players for the attempts. “I’ll say this: OU-Texas does it every time they play. It’s not anything special. You take your ‘L’ and you move on. I’ll leave it at that.”
Mayfield didn’t seem to agree that flag-planting should be banned either. “College football’s meant to have rivalries. It’s like the Big 12 banning the ‘Horns down’ signal. Let the boys play.”
Incidents took place Saturday following Michigan vs. Ohio State, Florida vs. Florida State, North Carolina vs. N.C. State, and Arizona vs. Arizona State. The Big Ten Conference levied the biggest discipline, fining Michigan and Ohio State $100,000 each for their actions, citing violations of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy. Mayfield’s comments come as the debate surrounding flag-planting and rivalries in college football continues to unfold.