Everyone with a mic or keypad seemed to have an opinion on Baker Mayfield's icy reception of Hue Jackson following Sunday's Cleveland Browns victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Some supported Mayfield's right to be irked by his former coach immediately signing with a division rival. Others pointed out the underlying message that the young QB didn't care for Jackson. While still others criticized the rookie for being offended by a fired coach for taking an offered job.
Regardless of the bent, Mayfield doesn't seem to care about anyone's opinion outside the Browns building.
The No. 1 overall pick was asked Wednesday if he regretted anything he said about Jackson or calling him fake.
"No," he replied, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "People took it as me personally attacking Hue. That is not it. It's the fact that I get to have my own opinion on how it transpired and he gets to do what he wants. That's how it is. Although I'm an athlete, I'm not a cookie-cutter quarterback. Never have been. Never will be. I speak my mind, that's how I am. So, I didn't like the move and people don't have to care. I'm not looking for anybody's approval. I don't regret any of it. It's about this team and what we have and we have to stick together and play together."
It's clear there was more to the Mayfield-Jackson relationship than the public is aware. After his comments Sunday, Mayfield responded to criticism from ex-NFL lineman Damien Woody by saying that Jackson was "fake."
Asked about describing his former head coach in such a negative light, the young gunslinger brushed it aside like a wayward pass rusher.
"There's things that happened in the building. No reason to go into detail about it. We've moved on," he said.
If only the rest of the world could also move on.
