Ohio State football was the center of a trend on Saturday, as Michigan players attempted to plant a Wolverines flag at midfield at Ohio Stadium after defeating the Buckeyes.
Multiple other instances of flag planting ensued on Saturday, as Florida attempted to do so at Florida State, and Arizona State even planted a pitchfork at Arizona’s stadium.
The situation prompted Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who famously started the trend after planting an Oklahoma flag at Ohio Stadium in 2017, to share his thoughts on the situation Sunday.
‘OU-Texas does it every time they play,’ Mayfield said. ‘It’s not anything special. You take your (loss) and you move on. I’ll leave it at that.’
Mayfield later added:
‘College football is meant to have rivalries. That’s like the Big 12 banning the ‘Horns Down’ signal. Just let the boys play.’
Ohio State and Michigan were both fined $100,000 each by the Big Ten after their roles in the flag planting fiasco, which led to a scuffle between numerous players on each team after the Buckeyes’ 13-10 upset loss.
Mayfield planted a Sooners flag after Oklahoma’s 31-16 win over Ohio State in 2017, the year he won the Heisman Trophy. The Buccaneers quarterback was also the No. 1 overall pick to the nearby Cleveland Browns in the ensuing NFL draft.
Mayfield, based on his comments, certainly feels the brawls that resulted after the flag plant were too much.