OU won’t start Mayfield after gesture
NORMAN, Okla. — Baker Mayfield’s on-thefield antics caught up with him this time.
Oklahoma’s senior quarterback will not start his final regular-season game Saturday at home against West Virginia after making a lewd gesture against Kansas. Coach Lincoln Riley also stripped Mayfield of his captain status for the game.
Riley made the announcements Monday. Mayfield said he understood.
“I knew something needed to be done,” he said. “I put coach Riley in a terrible spot. It’s not a decision any coach wants to have to make, but it was necessary. It was a hard conversation because he wants the best for me. It’s tough. It was difficult and our relationship was the main reason why it was such a hard conversation to have.”
Kansas team captains did not shake hands with Mayfield before Saturday’s game. After getting slighted, Mayfield jawed with the Jayhawks and some fans seated behind the Oklahoma bench. He also grabbed his crotch and cursed the Kansas sideline from his bench during the third quarter of the Sooners’ 41-3 win that clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game.
Mayfield said he understands that he puts himself ahead of the team when he acts out. He still wants to play with emotion, but he said he knows there are limits.
“It’s tricky because I do want to get my guys going and be that leader for them,” he said. “I know they thrive off the energy and the passion. There’s a fine line. From here going forward, it’s hard for me to say that I’m going to be that same guy. But I have to be the leader they need and I have been for them. I let them down with my actions, but I have to be there for them.”
Meanwhile, Kansas coach David Beaty apolgized for the actions of his captains.
“That was absolutely unacceptable. I’ve had a conversation with Lincoln Riley, and I’ve apologized on behalf of myself and our team,” Beaty said during Monday’s Big 12 coaches’ teleconference.
Odds and ends
Texas freshman tight end Cade Brewer sustained a torn ACL during practice last week. He will undergo surgery and be out for the season. …
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier has undergone surgery on a broken finger in his throwing hand and will miss four to six weeks. Coach Dana Holgorsen did not rule out Grier for the Mountaineers’ bowl game but said coming back is “going to be kind of tough.” Grier injured the middle finger on his right hand in Saturday’s 28-14 loss to Texas. …
South Alabama coach Joey Jones will resign after leading the Jaguars against New Mexico State in their season finale Dec. 2. Jones is the only coach in the history of a program that fielded its first team in 2009. He posted a 52-49 record in eight-plus seasons and led the Jaguars to two bowl games.