Baker Mayfield is seemingly trapped in the Bermuda Triangle and, in there, it's not simply the loss column he can't escape lately. He's also battling against very public and visceral criticism of the parents of teammates, and it began when Odell Beckham Sr. skewered the play of Mayfield just ahead of his son being released by the Cleveland Browns mid-season.
This time, after struggling wildly in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, it's the father of running back Kareem Hunt who's taking his shots at the Browns quarterback while insisting he's nothing like Beckham Sr. -- who took to social media to post clips of Mayfield's play to crutch his point.
"Now I'm getting people on my Facebook saying I'm being like OBJ's daddy, and I'm not," said Kareem Hunt Sr. on Facebook, via Brad Stainbrook of 247Sports. "I'm stating facts on football and what we see: he's limping, he's scared to throw the ball and they know he's hurt. [They're] going to keep listening but, if people don't like what I'm saying, unfriend me. I'm not jeopardizing nothing.
"I got a right to speak. I ain't posting no videos. Have a good day. Go Browns, hopefully."
There's something about that added "hopefully" that adds a bit more sting to his comments. The situation between Mayfield and Beckham flew off of the rails after the controversial comments made by Beckham Sr., and time will tell how the Browns running back will smooth over his father's words to Mayfield (something Beckham Jr. had no interest in doing).
Currently working himself to full health while still starting games for the Browns, Mayfield finished the loss against the Ravens completing only 18 of his 37 pass attempts with no touchdowns, and while he didn't play as poorly as former league MVP Lamar Jackson -- who threw four interceptions -- it was Jackson who made the big plays when his team needed them most. Mayfield and the Browns will now head into a much-needed bye week to recover and reload, but waiting on the other side of it is another dance with Jackson and the Ravens.
If Mayfield can't rally the troops to a win in two weeks, all eyes will be on Facebook to see what Hunt Sr. has to say about it and/or if any other parents will begin throwing darts as well -- wondering when Mayfield will get back to throwing some on the field.
