Mayfield scoffs at home crowd boos: 'Don't really care'
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield isn't worried about the fans who booed him Sunday as he labored through a 13-10 win over the Detroit Lions.
"Those are probably the same fans that won't be quiet while we're on offense and trying to operate," he told reporters Monday. "So, don't really care."
Mayfield heard jeers from the home crowd more than once in the second half. He finished the contest 15 of 29 for 176 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Rather than stay on the field to celebrate the win, Mayfield took off for the locker room when the game ended and then skipped his postgame press conference.
"I was frustrated, among other things," he said. "I've never dodged any questions or hid away from that, so it's not about that."
The 26-year-old also rejected any notion that he avoided responsibility for his poor outing by not talking to the media after the game.
"I'd be the first to tell you I played like shit," he said. "So, it's not about accountable and I don't owe you guys any of that. I owe that to my teammates and I talked to them, so that's what matters."
Mayfield has endured a rocky season, despite it beginning with championship aspirations following a promising 2020 campaign and an offseason that saw Cleveland upgrade its roster.
He's played most of the 2021 season with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder and has battled recent foot and knee injuries. But both Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski said the quarterback will continue to start as long as he feels healthy enough to do so.
"If he's ready to go, yes, he'll start," Stefanski said.
The Browns will meet the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football in Week 12 before their bye. Cleveland sits last in the AFC North at 5-4, but the Browns aren't far off from the 7-3 Ravens for first place in the division.
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