Mayfield resumes beef with refs: 'Everybody's talking about it'

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield had more harsh words for officials Wednesday when he responded to his fine for criticizing referees.

"People have to be held accountable for their job," he told reporters. "When it affects my job, it sucks, because it's not in my control."

Mayfield was penalized $12,500 for calling the officials "pretty bad" after the Browns lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6. There were multiple significant calls in the game that annoyed Mayfield, including a questionable blindside block flag on Jarvis Landry that killed a third-quarter drive.

"I wouldn't say it's complaining when it was blatantly obvious," he said. "I'd say that's just stating facts. Freedom of speech, I thought. But I get fined for it, that's the league, that's what they do, they fine you for some ridiculous things.

"There's a reason everybody's talking about it - it's not just me, it goes for every team. With how our team is, we're not gonna get a lot of calls and we know that, especially going into this week. There's no time to worry about it, no time to stress about it, just play our game."

The Browns lead the NFL in both accepted penalties and accepted penalty yardage per game. They're gearing up to face a New England Patriots squad that draws the seventh-fewest penalties per game.

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