Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield isn’t thrilled with how his teammates — and himself — have conducted themselves off the field.
After freshman quarterback Chris Robison was arrested on a public intoxication charge on Sunday, Mayfield was critical of player conduct and absolved the coaches from blame.
“I think people have let it slip a little bit and gotten a little lackadaisical about all the off-the-field stuff,” Mayfield said, via Jake Trotter of ESPN. “I think it can be said that I might have set a bad example first, but we all know there’s a higher standard here — not just being quarterbacks, but at the University of Oklahoma. There’s a tradition here at Oklahoma that compares to no other.
“We’ve got to realize that expectation and those standards and rise up to it and be the ones that everybody looks at in every single situation. We’ve got to be accountable and let everybody know that we have the responsibility and they can look up to us no matter what.”
According to Mayfield, coach Bob Stoops shouldn’t be blamed for the issues.
“They’re not letting anything slip,” Mayfield said of the coaching staff. “That’s not something Coach Stoops or anyone on his staff would ever let anybody let that slip. He’s always done his job well, and we have to do ours. They bring us here for a reason, and we have to rise up to the occasion and do that.”
Mayfield is not absolving himself of blame here, as he has his own rap sheet. We’ll see if his message sticks.
