The Cleveland Browns were very vocal of their disapproval of the referees in last week's game against the Seattle Seahawks and no one was more critical than Baker Mayfield. Following his postgame comments, Mayfield has now been fined for criticizing the officials according to Ian Rapoport.
#Browns QB Baker Mayfield was fined $12,500 for public comments regarding officiating, source said. He told reporters, "I'll probably be fined for saying this, but it was pretty bad out there.” And he was correct (on the fine).
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 19, 2019
As a direct result of his comments, Mayfield will lose $12,500 out of his own pocket. The second-year quarterback and the Browns weren't fond of a few of the calls that were made in last Sunday's 32-28 loss to the Seahawks.
Regardless, the NFL has begun to crack down on players this season who are condemning the calls made by officials. Along with Mayfield, Detroit Lions' Tracy Walker and Los Angeles Rams' Clay Matthews were also fined for the same offense on Saturday.
Not only was #Browns QB Baker Mayfield fined $12,500 for his comments on officiating, #Rams LB Clay Matthews and #Lions DB Tracy Walker were also fined $12,500 for the same offense, I'm told. A message from the NFL amidst mounting criticism in locker rooms and elsewhere.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 19, 2019
Of course, Walker was just involved in Monday night's game that involved multiple questionable calls against the Lions. Among the calls, an illegal use of hands penalty against Trey Flowers essentially gave the Green Bay Packers the victory.
It was the second time that Flowers was called for illegal use of hands in the second half of the game. Furthermore, both of the flags thrown on him were controversial ones that became a talking point during and after the game.
As a matter of fact, the call was egregious enough to prompt Matthews, who is sidelined with a jaw injury, to send out a tweet calling out the NFL's officials. The NFL continues to punish Mayfield and others for the mistakes that are being made by their referees on their payroll.
However, maybe their focus should be on making the needed adjustments to fix the issues that lie within the officiating crews that take the field every week.
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