Big 12 issues public reprimands for Mayfield, 4 Kansas captains
The Big 12 issued public reprimands for five athletes involved in OU’s 41-3 win over Kansas on Saturday.
The group, including OU quarterback Baker Mayfield, all engaged in actions that are in violation of the Big 12 Conference’s Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct rules, according to a Big 12 release.
“Mr. Mayfield’s actions are unacceptable and should not be tolerated,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a release. “I am grateful for the efficient management of this matter by the coaches and administration of the University of Oklahoma. Baker Mayfield is a truly outstanding competitor and I generally appreciate his style of play and the manner in which he competes. However, the behavior he exhibited on the sideline during the Oklahoma-Kansas game was inappropriate and contrary to our sportsmanship policies.”
The four Kansas team captains, Joe Dineen, Dorance Armstrong Jr., Jeremiah Booker, and Daniel Wise, were also reprimanded for not shaking Mayfield’s hand at the pregame coin toss.
“The refusal of these student-athletes to shake an opponent’s hand during the pregame ceremony is contrary to tradition and inconsistent with common courtesy,” Bowlsby said. “The pregame handshake among team captains is symbolic of good sportsmanship. This breach of protocol is not in keeping with the standards of the Big 12 Conference. I am grateful for the work of the Kansas administration and coaches to resolve this matter.”
Earlier in the day, Kansas coach David Beaty also stripped captaincy from all involved in the handshake situation and said that none of them would start. Hasan
Defense, who had a late hit on Mayfield, was punished in-house.
Brown mum on future
Offensive lineman Orlando Brown could be playing his last game at Owen Field on Saturday, but he didn’t reveal any future plans on Monday.
“It’s too early for me to say that and it’s still a lot of football left, and I only focus on one week at a time,” he said. “Obviously, I love it here and there’s a lot of things to look forward to in the future, but as far as the NFL, I don’t know yet.”
As a fourth-year junior, Brown is eligible for the 2018 NFL Draft, and he’s projected to be a firstround pick by CBSSports.com
Brown had the option to leave after last season, but he chose to stay for at least one more year to improve his draft stock.
Bedenbaugh semifinalist for Broyles Award
OU co-offensive coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh is one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant coach.
Bedenbaugh joined the OU staff in 2013, and this is his first year as an offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
Lincoln Riley won the award in 2015, and former OU assistant and current Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables won in 2016.
Bedenbaugh isn’t the only representative from the Big 12 on the list. Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock and TCU defensive coordinator
Chad Glasglow are also semifinalists.
The list of 15 will be whittled down to five and the award will be announced on Dec. 5.
Riley downplays Mayfield’s incident during TCU warm-up
After the Sooners defeated TCU two weeks ago, a video circulated of Mayfield hitting a Horned Frogs wide receiver on the head during warm ups.
TCU ran on to the field through the back of the end zone, right where Mayfield and the wide receivers were warming up.
Mayfield plunked one of the TCU receivers directly on the helmet, but Riley downplayed the situation on Monday.
“I didn’t ask him,” Riley said about the incident. “They ran right through the middle of our warmup. When you do stuff like that, things like that are going to happen.”