Baker Mayfield is moving on from February incident, and so should we
By Chip Rouse
Last week, new Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley announced the internal disciplinary measures that Sooner quarterback Baker Mayfield will face as a result of his arrest in Fayetteville, Ark., this past winter on charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct and fleeing from police officers.
While it appeared that OU had come up with the action it is taking against its starting quarterback ahead of the judgement of the court, the reality is, Mayfield accepted a plea deal in the court case on June 14, the day before the internal punishment was disclosed.
As most Sooner fans have heard by now, the terms of the plea deal accepted by the two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and former Big 12 Player of the Year, as reported in the Oklahoma City Oklahoman and numerous other media outlets, require him to pay $300 in fines, $160 in court costs and $483.20 in restitution for the charges made against him.
In addition to the terms of the plea agreement, Mayfield is being required by the university to complete an alcohol education program and perform 35 hours of community service.
Its a complex, crazy and increasingly scary world we all live in, and getting more complicated every day. Sometimes good people do bad things, or find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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What Mayfield was caught up in was not right – and, yes, unlawful by city statutes – but it was not physical violence, sexual assault or any of the other heinous accounts we read about seemingly daily that are occurring in and around college campuses today.
No one was hurt and no damage was done from what we know about the Mayfield incident, accept, of course, the pride and reputation of a star student-athlete who should have known better than to put himself, his team and his university in that unbecoming position.
I do believe Mayfield sincerely regrets his actions, let alone the embarrassment and public humiliation that naturally follows and lives on and on, thanks to ubiquitous video surveillance devices and the 24/7 world of social media we now live in.
I’m reminded of the notion: It takes years to build and mold a good reputation, but it can all be destroyed in a matter of seconds.
Police dashcam video of the Mayfield arrest has been made public. As you might imagine, it is far from flattering and, frankly, a bit pathetic to see a star college athlete in that situation.
Obviously, Mayfield cannot go back and change what has already happened. What he can do, and I believe he will do, is learn from his mistakes and take appropriate measures to ensure that he conducts himself in a manner that is not just expected of a person of his standing and stature, but of each and everyone of us when it comes to public decency and obeying the law.
What’s done is done. Appropriate restitution is being made. The case is closed as far as the law enforcement and legal processes are concerned, so it’s time to move on.
Head coach Lincoln Riley is pleased with the conduct and actions he has seen from his starting quarterback in the weeks following the incident.. “He’s done a great job of handling it so far,” Riley told Oklahoman staff writer Ryan Aber, “and I have no doubt he will continue to do so.”
“If I don’t move on, then nobody does,” Mayfield has been quoted as saying. “I’ve got to own up to it and own up to the mistake I made, and we’ve got to move forward.”
Mayfield has, and so should we.