Browns QB Baker Mayfield Responds to Richard Sherman Handshake Controversy

Following San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman calling out Baker Mayfield for “not shaking his hand” before Monday night’s game, there was nearly an entire day where this pseudo-controversy dominated the headlines. Now the Cleveland Browns quarterback has responded to the entire situation. As it turns out, he wasn’t particularly affected by “DapGate.”

Wednesday afternoon, Mayfield responded to multiple questions about Sherman and the handshake by saying that the “my bad” comments from the 49ers CB were nice. He also joked about this being the first time that the cameras didn’t paint him in a bad light.

“I know what I did,” Mayfield said on Wednesday. “But that’s the one time the camera or something recording me has gone in my favor.”

When he was in college, Mayfield was a source of controversy due to actions that were caught on the sidelines by cameras. During a game with the University of Kansas, he was seen yelling “f— you” at his opponents multiple times while grabbing his crotch.

In addition, there were instances where the cameras would show Mayfield throw a touchdown to a teammate at Oklahoma but would cut away prior to showing him celebrating with his fellow players. Sports radio host Colin Cowherd used one of these clips during an interview to portray Mayfield as a bad teammate.

Based on these situations, as well as others throughout the Browns inconsistent start to the season, Mayfield believes that the media has painted him in a certain light and that this has also affected public opinion. However, he doesn’t particularly care.

“I’m not worried about it. I know how I handled it [the handshake], exactly what I did,” Mayfield continued. “It is what it is. With you guys, people want to portray an image of me, who I am as a person. [I] could care less.”

References to his past aside, Mayfield did want to make one thing very clear. He has immense respect for Sherman, as well as the things that he has achieved throughout his career.

The 49ers CB has appeared in two Super Bowls in his career, winning one, and has long been viewed as one of the most effective defenders in the entire NFL. There was a period of time in 2014-15 where debates raged about whether Sherman was the best cornerback in the league or if this honor belonged to Darrelle Revis.

Sherman may have disagreed with how Mayfield handled the beginning of the game on Monday night, but the Browns quarterback will continue to show him respect for what he has done.