Richard Sherman Clarifies Issue with Baker Mayfield Handshake After Video Leaks

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman has clarified some confusion regarding his comments about Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield not shaking his hand prior to Monday's game.

As the captains for the Browns and 49ers met at midfield, Mayfield clearly interacted with Sherman:

Speaking to NFL.com's Michael Silver after San Francisco's 31-3 win, Sherman said the team got fired up when Mayfield didn't shake hands: 

"What's amazing, and annoying, was him not shaking hands at the beginning. That's some college s--t. It's ridiculous. We're all trying to get psyched up, but shaking hands with your opponent—that's NFL etiquette. And when you pull bush league stuff, that's disrespectful to the game. And believe me, that's gonna get us fired up." 

A different video that supports Sherman's assessment was after the coin toss, Mayfield immediately ran back to Cleveland's sideline and the rest of the players interacted with each other.

Sherman told The MMQB's Albert Breer that Mayfield running away following the coin toss is what upset him: "That's it. They are making way too big of a story of a blowout. He pissed us off. We put a foot in his ass. End of story." 

In a Twitter exchange with Pat McAfee, Sherman explained he felt there was a difference in the way Mayfield shook hands with him compared to other 49ers players: "So you don’t see any difference in the way I shake everyone else’s hand and the guy who stands back with the petty shake. Was [BS] and I took offense to it then turns and runs off. It’s not that big of a deal."

Mayfield has been at the center of handshake spats before in his NFL career.

Former Browns head coach Hue Jackson, who became a special assistant with the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 13, met him at midfield following Cleveland's 35-20 win over Cincinnati appearing to go for a hug but had to settle for a handshake. 

"[He] left Cleveland," Mayfield told reporters of that interaction. "Goes down to Cincinnati. Somebody that was in our locker room asking us to play for him and then goes to a different team that we play twice a year. Everybody can have their spin on it but that is how I feel."

Sherman told Silver he felt Mayfield was disrespecting the game with his actions, and the 49ers defense spent their time on the field trying to "humble him every chance you get."

It seemed to work because San Francisco limited Mayfield to 8-of-22 passing for 100 yards and two interceptions. 

The loss dropped Cleveland to 2-3, one game behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. The 49ers moved to 4-0 for the first time since 1990.