'That's some college s---': Richard Sherman blasts Baker Mayfield for not shaking hands at the start of the 49ers-Browns game

Tyler Lauletta

Oct 8, 2019, 20:46 IST

'That's some college s---': Richard Sherman blasts Baker Mayfield for not shaking hands at the start of the 49ers-Browns game

AP Photo/Tony Avelar

Richard Sherman had plenty to say about Baker Mayfield after the 49ers blew out the Browns 31-3 on Monday night.

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman called out Baker Mayfield after the Cleveland Browns quarterback refused to shake hands before their game on Monday night.
"That's some college s---. It's ridiculous," Sherman told NFL.com's Michael Silver. "We're all trying to get psyched up, but shaking hands with your opponent - that's NFL etiquette."
While in college, Mayfield once took a similar offense when an opponent refused to shake his hand before a game.
Sherman would ultimately win the day, picking off Mayfield on his fourth pass attempt of the day en route to trouncing the Browns 31-3.
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The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Cleveland Browns on Monday night, rolling to a 31-3 victory to move to 4-0 on the season.

After the game, 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman called out Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield for a disrespectful display to start the game. As the captains made their way to midfield for the opening coin toss, Mayfield refused to shake Sherman's hand - a move with which Sherman immediately took issue.

"That's some college s---. It's ridiculous," Sherman told NFL.com's Michael Silver after the game. "We're all trying to get psyched up, but shaking hands with your opponent - that's NFL etiquette. And when you pull bush-league stuff, that's disrespectful to the game. And believe me, that's gonna get us fired up."

Oddly enough, Mayfield took a similar offense in college. Before a game against Kansas, Mayfield's opposing team captains refused to shake his hand ahead of the coin toss.

Mayfield responded by torching the Jayhawks en route to a 41-3 victory, and later grabbing his crotch in the general direction of their bench.

On Monday night, Sherman and the 49ers gave Mayfield a similar comeuppance - Sherman picked off Mayfield on his fourth pass attempt of the game, and San Francisco cruised to victory in a game that never felt close.

Sherman got a little help with his revenge on Mayfield from teammate Nick Bosa, who was a wrecking ball through the Browns offensive line all night, finishing with two sacks, five QB hits, and a fumble recovery. After ending the first half by forcing Mayfield into an intentional grounding penalty, Bosa settled a score of his own, mocking the "plant the flag" celebration Mayfield did after defeating his Ohio State Buckeyes in 2017.

But Sherman's post-game criticism of Mayfield was still the stiffest shot fired of the night.

"Respect the game," Sherman said, per NFL.com. "You can have rivals, but pay your respect in that moment -- especially when you're young."

He continued:

"He hasn't earned anything in this league. How many games has he won? He's acting like he was the MVP last year. If (Patrick) Mahomes did that, it would be one thing. But he would never do that, because he has too much respect for the game."

"And when you see a guy who doesn't? You humble him every chance you get. Because eventually, he will have respect for the league - or he'll be out of it."

Mayfield and the Browns had high expectations heading into the 2019 NFL season. Now through five weeks, they're 2-3, with tough games against the Seahawks and Patriots on the horizon, and no shortage of enemies across the league.