Baker Mayfield's staredown of Hue Jackson last Sunday drew plenty of attention, but it was a gesture the rookie quarterback made during the game that has him a little lighter in the pocket. The NFL handed Mayfield a fine of $10,026 for unsportsmanlike conduct, the result of an apparent lewd gesture he made toward Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens in Sunday's 26-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Mayfield threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Darren Fells in the second quarter, then went to the sideline and gestured toward his groin area. Asked about it this week, Mayfield said he couldn't recall what happened. "I honestly couldn't tell you," he said. "I don't know. We have a lot of stuff within the locker room, what we have going on in the offense. Lot of inside jokes. Who knows what it was?" A league source said the NFL office looks on Mayfield's actions seriously. "Suggestive gestures have long been prohibited and are prohibited anywhere on the field," the source said. "Sportsmanship is something we take very seriously, especially as it relates to setting a good example for athletes at other levels of the sport." Kitchens said he had no problem with Mayfield's actions. "I don't understand what he did wrong, what the big deal is," Kitchens said earlier this week. "He's in middle of a football game in the NFL. I like guys that have a relentless pursuit of competition. I don't have a problem with Baker." Mayfield's agent told Cleveland.com that the quarterback will appeal the fine. The quarterback's base pay is $480,000, or $28,235 per week, meaning the fine is almost 36 percent of his weekly pay. This is the first fine of Mayfield's NFL career. Information from ESPN's Pat McManamon was used in this report.<doc-sep>The NFL home office is, by and large, a humorless entity. But at least in one case, the league bosses have found their sense of humor. According to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, the NFL has decided to reduce the fine levied against Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield for a sideline gesture he made during Cleveland’s win against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 23. So Baker Mayfield has an interesting celebration @AdamRStroz pic.twitter.com/WbFHMpV62K — DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) December 23, 2018 Mayfield was originally fined $10,026 for the celebration - it is always fun to try and decipher how the NFL comes up with these amounts - but after an appeal, the fine was reduced to “just under $1,700.” Head coach Freddie Kitchens, who was the team’s offensive coordinator for that game, had no issue with Mayfield’s enthusiasm when asked about it later that week, according to clevelandbrowns.com: “I do not know what he did wrong. I do not know. I do not understand what he did wrong. I do not understand what the big deal is. He is in the middle of a football game in the National Football League. There is great emotion in a game of football, and whatever he does on the football field is on the football field so I do not know. I like guys that have a relentless pursuit of competition, and they rally around the competition. Sometimes when you are in competition, somethings you do, you just do. You do not even know why the hell you do it, but I do not have a problem with Baker.” It was the proper response at the time and would be the proper response today. Mayfield helped energize the franchise and the fan base this past season, and there should be nothing wrong with showing a little emotion during a game. Given the news that the NFL has reduced the original fine, the league office appears to be mostly in agreement as well.<doc-sep>Getty Images Baker Mayfield isn’t even playing, and he’s cashing in this week. The Browns quarterback had his fine for a lewd gesture reduced on appeal, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The league fined Mayfield $10,026 for a sideline celebration with coach Freddie Kitchens during a Dec. 23 game against the Bengals. Mayfield recently won his appeal, getting the fine reduced to just under $1,700, according to Cabot. Kitchens defended Mayfield at the time. “I don’t know what he did wrong,’’ Kitchens said in his press conference. “I don’t know. I don’t understand what he did wrong. I don’t understand what the big deal is. He’s in the middle of a football game in the National Football League. There’s great emotion in a game of football, and whatever he does on the football field is on the football field so I do not know.”<doc-sep>Kirk Irwin/Getty Images Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was fined $10,026 for a sideline celebration following a touchdown pass against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network: Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead provided video of the celebration, which resembled a certain D-Generation X gesture for any late-1990s and early-2000s WWF fans. Mayfield had plenty to celebrate after the game, as his Browns beat the Bengals 26-18 to improve to 7-7-1. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Mayfield's agent, Tom Mills, said the rookie will appeal the fine. Mayfield has a reputation as an honest player who isn't afraid to show emotion. Some people like it, while others don't. That public persona stretches back to his days at Oklahoma, when he planted the OU flag on the Ohio State logo and made a gesture and yelled at the Kansas sideline. His actions this season have involved staring down ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson and calling him "fake" in an Instagram comment. Mayfield did not apologize for his staredown and explained where he was coming from. Video Play Button Videos you might like "I don't get why people have a problem with football being a competitive sport," Mayfield told reporters Wednesday. "You're supposed to play with emotion. You're supposed to play with passion. Quite honestly, if you don't like it, whatever. Football is not meant to be a soft game. I could care less." His winning makes everything more palatable for fans. If he were in charge of a 3-12 Browns team and doing similar things, then public opinion may be more slanted against him. But he's led a franchise that went 1-31 over its past two seasons to a 7-5-1 mark in games he's played this year, which perhaps puts more people in his corner. Regardless of where one falls on the Mayfield spectrum (and some of his actions can't be defended), his honesty is refreshing. Many athletes speak in cliches to avoid being the center of attention for the wrong reasons, but the quarterback doesn't care much about reactions to his comments. Nor do Browns teammates, coaches and staff, who seem to love him, as noted by this "Mic'd Up" segment (h/t Evan Silva of Rotoworld): Ultimately, Mayfield is a great entertainer, which makes him one of the more fun professional athletes to watch.<doc-sep>
The NFL fined Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield $10,026 for a sideline celebration with then offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens that was deemed inappropriate. The motion, which occurred in Week 16 at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, was open to interpretation. According to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, the fine was reduced to just under $1,700. The regular season has come to a close. Sign up for insider access only at Cleveland Browns on 247Sports today and take advantage of our FREE trial! Mayfield downplayed the celebration and expressed that he is not going to be anyone but himself. Kitchens was defensive of his quarterback. “I don’t know what he did wrong. I don’t know. I don’t understand what he did wrong. I don’t understand what the big deal is. He’s in the middle of a football game in the National Football League. There’s great emotion in a game of football, and whatever he does on the football field is on the football field so I do not know," the coach said. It was the second meeting of the season against the Bengals and former head coach Hue Jackson. The first meeting was controversial as well. Mayfield had a cold interaction with Jackson after the game and his feelings towards the coach boiled over onto social media. In the second game against Cincinnati, the quarterback was seen staring down Jackson on his way up the field after a 66-yard completion to tight end David Njoku that essentially sealed the game. The Browns won 26-18.