College football’s Week 14 slate saw multiple on-field scuffles erupt in rivalry matchups that ended with teams attempting to celebrate at their opponent’s mid-field logo by planting the team’s flag.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield went viral in 2017 for his flag-planting moment after Oklahoma defeated Ohio State in Columbus.
Mayfield, who was called “the OG of flag-planting” by reporters during his post-game news conference Sunday, was asked his thoughts on the incidents seemingly stemming from his legacy moment.
“OU-Texas does it every time they play,” he said (h/t ESPN’s Jenna Laine). “It’s not anything special. Take your L and move on.”
“College football is meant to have rivalries,” he added. “That’s like the Big 12 banning the ‘horns down’ signal. Just let the boys play.”
No individual disciplinary actions have yet been handed down by conference commissioners in the wake of the midfield fights but the Big Ten did fine Ohio State and Michigan each $100K for the incident.
Several pundits, including ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit and David Pollack, expressed their desire to see punishments handed down to individual players involved in the violence, regardless of conference championship implications.
Its unclear when or if those individual punishments will be handed down but the quarrels have certainly sparked debate.
Whether conferences or the NCAA will attempt to legislate “flag-planting” out of the game is yet to be seen but the aftermath of Saturday’s rough rivalries will continue to be talked about long after the season concludes.