Baker Mayfield Slams Big 12 for Cracking Down on 'Horns Down' Gesture

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield took a not-so-subtle shot at the Big 12 on Friday after the conference updated its guidance on taunting, which now includes a potential penalty for using the "horns down" gesture in the direction of Texas players.

Mayfield, who starred at Oklahoma during his college career, made ample use of the "horns down" symbol while a member of the Sooners and has continued its use in the NFL.

Big 12 Coordinator of Officials Greg Burks said Thursday a crackdown on taunting was one of the conference's goals for 2021, but he noted a lot of discretion would remain with the officials to handle on a case-by-case basis.

"Lemme put it this way," Burks told reporters. "If you do a 'horns down' to a Texas player as an opponent, that's probably going to be a foul."

He added: "Please all of you note, I said 'probably.' We have to consider intent and consider the situation. We'll leave it to officials."

This year's Red River Rivalry is scheduled for Oct. 9 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The implementation of the updated guidelines will surely be watched closely throughout the contest.

Unfortunately for Mayfield, it's unlikely he'll be able to attend this season's game between the Sooners and Longhorns because the Browns have a 1 p.m. local time kickoff in Los Angeles the next day as they face off with the Chargers in a key AFC matchup.

The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner will probably be active on social media, however, especially if OU picks up its fourth straight victory over UT.