Baker Mayfield is considered the frontrunner for the 2017 Heisman Trophy by many, but despite his talent he should not be bringing the award home from New York on December 9.
To many, it’s a done deal. Baker Mayfield has separated himself from the field in the Heisman Trophy race, and should be the one whose name is called at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Nice try, Bryce Love and Lamar Jackson, see you at the NFL Draft.
While Mayfield has had an impressive year leading the Oklahoma Sooners to the Big 12 title and College Football Playoff, his candidacy for the Heisman should truly come under more examination than just “he’s had a terrific year”.
This isn’t about stats or Heisman moments on the field, because all three finalists can lay claim to those, in fact, last year’s winner, Lamar Jackson, has had an ever better season than he did in 2016.
No, this is about what the Heisman Trophy represents, what the Heisman Trust stands for, what their mission is, and whether or not it’s time to stop overlooking matters of character and integrity when it comes to voting for Heisman winners.
Betsided
This isn’t a new discussion either. It was a subject in 2010 with Cam Newton, in 2012 with Johnny Manziel, and in 2013 with Jameis Winston – and in all those cases, instances of behavior which were in direct opposition with the Heisman Trust’s mission statement were completely swept under the rug by voters.
We are in a period of change within all sports – particularly college – where the “boys will be boys” mentality is no longer being tolerated, and that mantra of a bygone era should be discarded for Heisman candidates as well.
Why is this important? This passage from the Heisman Trust is the best reason:
"The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. The winners of the trophy epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The Heisman Trophy Trust’s mission is to ensure the continuation and integrity of this award."
Here is where the likely 2017 winner is lacking.
Integrity.
Defined as: “The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Synonyms: honesty, probity, rectitude, honor, good character, principle(s), ethics, morals, righteousness, morality, virtue, decency, fairness, scrupulousness, sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness”
Baker Mayfield – while certainly a talented and passionate football player – has repeatedly shown his lack of judgement and integrity. No one expects young people to be perfect or mistake-free, but to continue a pattern of behavior after being corrected for it time and again is a troubling sign.
Mayfield was arrested in February 2017 on charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and fleeing and resisting arrest. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in his April 7 court appearance.
In September, Mayfield took it upon himself to plant the Oklahoma flag in the middle of the field at Ohio State after the Sooners’ big victory over the Buckeyes. While this may not seem like a particularly egregious example of poor behavior, it did show a complete lack of sportsmanship (something Heisman winners are expected to display).
Then just a few short weeks after making an apology for the flag incident, he was caught on camera telling Baylor players he was going to “spank them” and reminding them of “who their daddy is” after a pregame dustup between the two teams. Hardly the appropriate phrasing given what Baylor’s football program had been experiencing in the wake of a sexual assault scandal.
In his most recent showcase of immature tomfoolery, Mayfield grabbed his nether-region while on camera, telling the Kansas football team to “stick to basketball”. Granted, the Jayhawks had done their best to bait Mayfield into reacting, but isn’t a possible Heisman winner supposed to set himself apart by not allowing the chirping to get to him? Is that not part of having integrity in your character?
For his actions against Kansas, Mayfield was stripped of his captaincy and not allowed to start the next game against West Virginia. A contrite sounding Mayfield appeared on camera, and posted the following apology.
— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) November 19, 2017
Perhaps this apology is sincere and he’s learned his lesson, but should it have taken so many instances and a symbolic “punishment” for a man of 22 to get the message?
When all is said and done, this is not the type of character which should be on the list of Heisman winners.
Mayfield is a supreme football talent, and his antics away from the game should not prevent him from being able to chase his dreams of becoming a professional football player. He’ll be drafted (probably in the first round) and he’ll be well-paid to line up and talk smack with the other pros on Sundays.
That should be the extent of Baker Mayfield’s rewards for his play. His behavior should not be celebrated and recognized with a prestigious award.
Lamar Jackson and Bryce Love have done just as much on the field to showcase their talent and to help their teams as Mayfield, and they’ve done it without constantly bringing attention and a negative light to their actions away from the huddle.
Baker Mayfield may be the easy choice for Heisman in 2017, but he’s not the one we need.
Next: Biggest Heisman Trophy Snubs Ever
The time for rewarding poor character should be over. Boys may be boys, but Heisman winners are supposed to set themselves apart by being more than just boys. They should be men among boys, and set a shining example for other young boys who have dreams of one day hoisting the Heisman over their head in New York.