The punitive response to Baker Mayfield's obscene gesture to Kansas' players during Saturday's win was announced by head coach Lincoln Riley on Monday. Mayfield, a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and the frontrunner to win the award with two weeks left to play in 2017, will not start against West Virginia in the regular season finale. He is still expected to play, but in addition to losing his starting role, he has stripped of his captaincy for the game.
Having a captaincy removed is a punishment that has a varying severity depending on the player, program and timing. That part of the punishment struck a nerve with Mayfield, considering that Saturday's game against the Mountaineers is Senior Day in Norman.
Mayfield spoke about the punishment after Monday's practice and got emotional not about losing his starting job, but about not being a team captain for the final home game of his college career.
"Not being a team captain is so much more," Mayfield said. "It would be hard if it were a regular game or not, but it being my last one here ever, it means a lot more. It's going to be tough, because Saturday was going to be -- without all of this -- an emotional one. It's going to be hard to handle. It's going to be hard."
Check out video above.
