Baker Mayfield of the Bucs speaks out on the college football flag-planting controversy: "Boys should be allowed to play"

At Oklahoma University, Mayfield gained a reputation for being a tough player and a bit of a trash-talker while throwing the ball.

In 2017, Mayfield planted the Sooners' flag in the middle of Ohio State's field after a win, possibly starting the flag-planting tradition.

Mayfield defended players who tried to place flags on their opponents' fields, despite a series of disagreements.

"OU-Texas always does it when they play, and Mayfield said after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' narrow victory over the Carolina Panthers in overtime on Sunday. He added that it's nothing special and to just take the loss and move on."

Mayfield didn’t seem to agree that flag-planting should be banned either.

"The Big 12's ban on the 'Horns down' signal is like college football's rivalries," he said. "Let the boys play."

On Saturday, following the Michigan vs. Ohio State, Florida vs. Florida State, North Carolina vs. N.C. State, and Arizona vs. Arizona State games, incidents occurred. However, the Arizona-Arizona State game featured the Sun Devils' pitchfork instead of a flag.

The largest disciplinary action to date was imposed by the Big Ten Conference on Michigan and Ohio State, with each school receiving a fine of $100,000.

"The Big Ten Conference has announced that the behavior of both teams during the Michigan-Ohio State football game on November 30, 2024, violated the conference's sportsmanship policy. The actions of both teams not only disrespected and lacked civility, but also put the safety of participants and spectators at risk."

The Big Ten Conference fined both the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University $100,000 each due to violations.

"The Big Ten Conference has concluded the matter and will not provide any additional comment."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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