![]() ![]() His height, his flaws, his story - it all makes Mayfield seem more real to them, like he's a human playing a position normally reserved for superheroes. Sure, they don't want their son doing everything Mayfield's done, but they're happy that a tiny kid like Gavin has a (relatively) tiny quarterback to admire, an overlooked athlete, now one of the most famous walk-ons in college football history, who proved his doubters wrong. On two occasions - one time when Mayfield grabbed his crotch in the general direction of the Kansas sideline, another when he planted an Oklahoma flag on Ohio State's field after an upset victory, equal parts Buzz Aldrin and Buzz McCallister - the young quarterback was shamed into delivering mea culpas, apologizing to fans for stunting too hard.Īnd yet Gavin's parents shrug at the mention of those public stumbles. There was a time not long ago, before Mayfield led the Browns to their first win in nearly two seasons, before Cleveland heralded him as the franchise's long-awaited savior, before Mayfield beefed with his former head coach (more on that later), when such revelry provoked angst among the self-appointed guardians of college football's moral code. "He's running around, swinging the arm and everything," Craig says. "When he plays soccer, he lifts up his shirt and celebrates," Malia says. Malia tells me that their 5-year-old, Gavin, wore his Mayfield socks over a suit to his kindergarten graduation ceremony he's studied every detail of the quarterback's journey, including his now-iconic celebrations. ![]() Craig and Malia Harvey drove 12 hours from their small hometown in Colorado to attend Mayfield's camp. I can see his parents in the crowd even though the sun boils us like bugs underneath a magnifying glass, they're the ones desperately trying to capture every second of this encounter. "I don't know where you got those socks," Mayfield says, winking. Mayfield hunches over a little - standing just over 6 feet tall in shorts and Nikes, he looks more like a regular dad playing catch with his kids than an NFL quarterback - and gingerly places a hand on the boy's shoulder. When he walks up to Mayfield, his sneakers sink into the muddy field, and everyone watching goes Ooh. He's wearing a Baker-esque headband (every camper received one) and knee socks with the quarterback's face on them. The visual of Mayfield playing football with hundreds of children at his camp in Norman, Oklahoma, is a publicist's dream, and this tiny blond, bespectacled child is straight out of central casting. It's an absurd thought, but the whole scenario carries a whiff of predetermined charm. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪ DOZEN OR so kids line up to catch a pass from Baker Mayfield, and one of them is so gut-wrenchingly adorable, I briefly wonder if he's a plant.
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